Analysis Of Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

Is it better to live life as a happy fool, or as to have great wisdom at the expense of happiness? Do we think greatly of the knowledge we possess, or are we aware that despite the great sum of the knowledge we have, there is far more about which we are ignorant. These are among the questions we are forced to examine in reading Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and the later Apology, and Voltaire’s Story of a Good Brahmin. In the allegory of the Cave, Plato poses a question which contrasts our perception of reality versus reality itself. In the story, we suppose that a group of men are chained, as they have been since birth, in such a way as they are unable to see anything but that which is before them. These men see the reflection of many objects …show more content…
He states that he will speak in the common language and asks not to be interrupted for doing so. Socrates was 70 at the time of his trial and informs the jury that he is ignorant of the ways of the court having never been there before. Many times, throughout his oration Socrates will restate his position of ignorance. The story continues with Socrates stating that when he learned the Oracle of Delphi had stated there was no man wiser than he, he set out to solve what to him seemed a riddle as he did not believe himself to possess any knowledge “great or small”, but that it was not customary for the Gods to …show more content…
The wise Brahmin is a wise and learned man who is wealthy and lives a life of leisure in a beautiful home that is well cared for by three beautiful women. Despite all that the Brahmin has, he is not content as he knows not about the things which are truly important. He has spent 40 years learning and teaching others, but knows nothing of time, eternity, and what produces thought. When asked why there is so much evil in the world by others, he knows not and cannot