Compare And Contrast Descartes And The Allegory Of The Cave

The allegory of the cave by Plato and systematic skepticism by Descartes, are arguably two of the most influential concepts within rationalism. The formulation of Plato’s work served to fight back the growing influence of fallacious sophism at the time that paid attention to rhetoric and semantics over truth. Similarly, Descartes’ approach of radical skepticism confronted the monopoly of traditional scholastic philosophy that prevailed for centuries before him. Although both concepts are isolated by different periods of time and space, from a foundational perspective, they are parallels. However, with a more profound apprehension of their work, it comes to be understood that their work is inordinately different, yet together, have paved the …show more content…
To the prisoners, ‘the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows’ as they are oblivious of the illusion perpetrated by the puppeteers and erroneously believe the immaterial shadows. Yet, one day, when a prisoner is released from his shackles, he immediately gains a clearer understanding of reality and understands the fallacies of the shadows after spending time in the cave under the sun and the stars. As his familiarity with the external world matures, he comes to realize that the sun was the source of the shadow and how his previous life in the cave was a complete illusion. His newfound enlightenment will not only prevent him from returning to his former life but at the same time, it will cause him to grasp the idea of Good and urge him to act rationally. Plato relates the starved prisoners to ordinary citizens who hold false beliefs (shadows) and allow their reality to be dictated by their senses and be manipulated by the appearance of …show more content…
The journey of the free man symbolizes education and the acquisition of knowledge that allows one to break through the barriers of ignorance and finally reach the light(s) of rationality and intellect. Plato’s allegory of the cave and Descartes’ systematic skepticism are intrinsically very much alike. Their concern for the deceptive nature of sense perception and the outside world is exemplified by Plato’s emphasis on the sense and the appearance of things through the shadows of the cave and Descartes’ unyielding belief that the external world can never be known. The comparison of Descartes and Plato is almost comical and satirical in nature. The evil demon hypothesis is exactly what Plato is doing with his shadow wielding puppeteers whose sole purpose is to deceive the prisoners. The underlying consensus amongst both the philosophers is that knowledge directly through the mind overcomes the deceitful nature of the