Tobias Buehner
Professor Douglass
TA Gianna Englert
Philosophy 099
October 5, 2014
Analyzing Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Over time, history has produced extraordinary leaders. People such as George Washington, Gandhi, and Alexander the Great have inspired the minds of many and created magnificent societies for their people. These men not only successfully lead their people, they also fostered them and helped them grow and develop. They are considered to be some of the greatest leaders of all time. Plato however believed that there could exist a leader who was above all those men. This leader would be the Philosopher King. He would have the education to be knowledgable in both political power and philosophy, and have the wisdom to understand …show more content…
As Plato states, “the ascent to see the things in the upper world you may take as the standing for the upward journey of the soul into the region of the intelligible” (231). At first people only know what they grew up knowing; in the cave, all the prisoners know at first is the shadows on the wall. But then, people are introduced to a higher of level of thinking as they get older. In the cave, this occurs when the prisoner was first dragged to the fire and the stencils. Plato believes that it is common for people to deny this new way of thinking at first and states, “Would he not be perplexed and believe the objects now shown him to be not so real as what he formally saw” (229)? It takes time to adjust to a new way of thinking just as it takes time for the prisoner’s eyes to adjust to the light of the fire. Then, the process is repeated and people are yet again introduced to a higher level of thinking. The prisoner from the cave is now dragged to the upper ground where he begins to understand the real world. The process is continually repeated until at last the person reaches the Form of Goodness; in the allegory this is represented when the prisoner sees the sun. The journey for knowledge is a log process that requires people to be able to adapt to a new way of …show more content…
As Plato described, the journey is not and easy and takes a long time, but when people finally reach the Form of Goodness they have reached the pinnacle of intelligence itself and can call themselves philosophers. It is important that all Philosopher Kings reach the Form of Goodness because they need to understand how the world operates. They need to be knowledgeable about how to create a successful society and how to keep it properly running. The Philosopher King is the only person that is wise enough to form a society into the ideal society as well as the only one who would serve out of a sense of obligation and not out of greed and desire. The allegory of the cave effectively illustrates the process of becoming a philosopher as well as proving that a proving that a Philosopher King is not only the perfect person to lead society, but the rightful person as
Professor Douglass
TA Gianna Englert
Philosophy 099
October 5, 2014
Analyzing Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Over time, history has produced extraordinary leaders. People such as George Washington, Gandhi, and Alexander the Great have inspired the minds of many and created magnificent societies for their people. These men not only successfully lead their people, they also fostered them and helped them grow and develop. They are considered to be some of the greatest leaders of all time. Plato however believed that there could exist a leader who was above all those men. This leader would be the Philosopher King. He would have the education to be knowledgable in both political power and philosophy, and have the wisdom to understand …show more content…
As Plato states, “the ascent to see the things in the upper world you may take as the standing for the upward journey of the soul into the region of the intelligible” (231). At first people only know what they grew up knowing; in the cave, all the prisoners know at first is the shadows on the wall. But then, people are introduced to a higher of level of thinking as they get older. In the cave, this occurs when the prisoner was first dragged to the fire and the stencils. Plato believes that it is common for people to deny this new way of thinking at first and states, “Would he not be perplexed and believe the objects now shown him to be not so real as what he formally saw” (229)? It takes time to adjust to a new way of thinking just as it takes time for the prisoner’s eyes to adjust to the light of the fire. Then, the process is repeated and people are yet again introduced to a higher level of thinking. The prisoner from the cave is now dragged to the upper ground where he begins to understand the real world. The process is continually repeated until at last the person reaches the Form of Goodness; in the allegory this is represented when the prisoner sees the sun. The journey for knowledge is a log process that requires people to be able to adapt to a new way of …show more content…
As Plato described, the journey is not and easy and takes a long time, but when people finally reach the Form of Goodness they have reached the pinnacle of intelligence itself and can call themselves philosophers. It is important that all Philosopher Kings reach the Form of Goodness because they need to understand how the world operates. They need to be knowledgeable about how to create a successful society and how to keep it properly running. The Philosopher King is the only person that is wise enough to form a society into the ideal society as well as the only one who would serve out of a sense of obligation and not out of greed and desire. The allegory of the cave effectively illustrates the process of becoming a philosopher as well as proving that a proving that a Philosopher King is not only the perfect person to lead society, but the rightful person as