Cave Of The Cave Analysis

Plato’s cage creates an image of prisoners seeing shapes of reflections from their controller. The prisoners are seeding things they believe to be real life. The prisoners can only believe what they see and are told in this cave. What the prisoners fail to realize is that the shadows they see are not the real world but the images of the people holding them captive. The reading speaks about what the prisoners are exposed to and what the world really is. The lesson to be learned from the reading focus on perception and reality. The prisoners play games within the cave to guess which shadows will appear next. These prisoners believe these shadows are of the world and what goes on in the world. As people, we should not always believe the first thing we see and hear. …show more content…
Once exposed to the true reality of a situation, people revert back to what they think they know to be true because their lives have been completely altered. “This is what I have hesitated to say so long, knowing what paradox it would sound; for it is not so easy to see that there is no other road to real happiness, either for society or the individual”. This passage speaks about the prisoner feeling compelled to return to the cave because it is what he believed to be true even though he had already been exposed to the real truth. The reading also states, if the prisoners had a chance to turn around in the cave they were be surprised to see the images are just shadows. The prisoners would see the fire burning that creates the shadows but because they are not used to looking at the fire directly, the prisoners would prefer to stare at the wall because it is familiar to them. Plato’s allegory about the cave is a direct depiction of the world today. People prefer to cling to their truth instead of reality. It is easier for them and it gives people a sense of comfort. When we utilize and explore philosophy, we are thinking critically about what we think we know and expanding