Lack Of Knowledge In Allegory Of The Cave

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Why Curiosity Did not Kill the Cat
Some species have gone extinct due to lack of adaptation, however humans have consistently conformed to their surroundings to survive. Without adaptation, there would be no difference between humans and animals. Other species have limitations regarding their habitat, but humans use a more advanced thought process to find resources to adapt. In order for a human to discover a resource, they need to be curious about the purpose of an object. Curiosity enhances human survivability and it makes way for new discoveries and enhancements. Humans would not have adapted as well if they did not question their surroundings. This level of curiosity is shown in “Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix. These two stories are
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To be curious is to seek out knowledge whereas being ignorant is either being unaware of new knowledge or ignoring it’s existence. Prior to liberation, the prisoners in “Allegory” suffered from the former ignorance because they did not know another world. However, after a prisoner returned and played a game, the other prisoners believed he had lost his eyes and refused to ever leave the cave, ignoring any new knowledge. In “Allegory of the Cave” prisoners in the upper world, “where their souls desire to dwell” (Plato 871:37), must descend to pass on their wisdom. Plato believes that all people have a duty to pass on knowledge because the legislator does not intend to “make any one class in the State happy above the rest” (Plato 873:59) but to benefit the State as a …show more content…
Self-awareness is the only way to ascend in life. By becoming self-aware one can increase their knowledge and then share with others. Unfortunately, some would use their new realization to gain knowledge and then dictate rather than run a democracy. In “Allegory of the Cave”, Plato explains how neither the under nor over-educated shall rule, a person in the middle would be the ideal ruler. The point of ascension is not to achieve power but to increase one’s awareness and to eventually help other prisoners. Plato’s story also describes the pain of ascending, “when he is forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated (Plato 869:19)”, and returning, “men would say that up he went and down he came without his eyes (Plato 870:33).” Later, it is explained how prisoners would attack those who tried to make them leave, not understanding their own ignorance. The prisoners refused to even listen to any positive aspect of the upper world, they were too focused on their fear. The lesson in this story is that it’s simple to remain ignorant through fear, but to surpass that fear and banish ignorance is the key to

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