In Book VII of The Republic by Plato he begins by drawing a comparison between “the natural condition of humans and education, or lack thereof” (514a) to the allegory of the cave. This analogy paints a picture of a perilous journey from the darkness of the cave, a state of blissful unawareness, to the light, which is symbolic of the quest for education and knowledge. The allegory attempts to equate the prisoner’s emergence from the cave as the transition from understanding sensible reality towards the realm of forms; this realm is comprised of objects and ideals such as Truth and Justice in their most perfect and definite form. In this essay I shall argue that the allegory of the cave advances Plato’s’ argument of knowledge being the key to
…show more content…
These habits over time allow for humans to achieve the full potential of their soul thus, becoming prudent and virtuous individuals (518e). However, it is difficult of each person to reach this level of understanding as it is a tedious process and ideas that formulate from this knowledge will be rejected and scorned by the masses due to a lack of understanding. To illustrate Plato’s logic, I shall begin by describing in what occurs in the allegory. Second, I shall explain how the visible world and the world of forms are important in regards to education, human nature, and the soul. Finally, I shall illustrate the relevancy of this text in a contemporary society by examining the film The Matrix by breaking down how the film utilizes and reinvents the ideas proposed in the allegory to align with modern day …show more content…
In this underground cave humans are shackled for their entire lives, bound by their legs and neck so they may not turn their heads around and observe anything other than what is presented in front of them. (514 b-c) They are being shown shadow puppets projected on the wall in front of them by a flame that is positioned behind and above them, hidden by stone divider. The prisoners, after being conditioned their entire lives to observe these shadows, believing that this these images are the only reality that exists because it is the only thing they have ever seen (514b-515a) However, one prisoner manages to escape from his shackles. He is “compelled to stand up, turn around and walk with open eyes toward the light” (515c-d). This experience is strenuous and painful and upon emerging from the depths the light of the sun engulfs his senses, blinding him temporarily. Eventually he becomes accustomed to this light and with it, an understanding that the sun is the agent that allows us to see, not the flame in the cave. He learns of a reality beyond the one of the cave in which he was shackled. With this new knowledge of the outside world, the prisoner returns to the heart of the cave where the others are still bound and begins share his experience of the outside world. The other prisoners reject these new ideas, they cannot comprehend a world beyond the one they exist in, the
These habits over time allow for humans to achieve the full potential of their soul thus, becoming prudent and virtuous individuals (518e). However, it is difficult of each person to reach this level of understanding as it is a tedious process and ideas that formulate from this knowledge will be rejected and scorned by the masses due to a lack of understanding. To illustrate Plato’s logic, I shall begin by describing in what occurs in the allegory. Second, I shall explain how the visible world and the world of forms are important in regards to education, human nature, and the soul. Finally, I shall illustrate the relevancy of this text in a contemporary society by examining the film The Matrix by breaking down how the film utilizes and reinvents the ideas proposed in the allegory to align with modern day …show more content…
In this underground cave humans are shackled for their entire lives, bound by their legs and neck so they may not turn their heads around and observe anything other than what is presented in front of them. (514 b-c) They are being shown shadow puppets projected on the wall in front of them by a flame that is positioned behind and above them, hidden by stone divider. The prisoners, after being conditioned their entire lives to observe these shadows, believing that this these images are the only reality that exists because it is the only thing they have ever seen (514b-515a) However, one prisoner manages to escape from his shackles. He is “compelled to stand up, turn around and walk with open eyes toward the light” (515c-d). This experience is strenuous and painful and upon emerging from the depths the light of the sun engulfs his senses, blinding him temporarily. Eventually he becomes accustomed to this light and with it, an understanding that the sun is the agent that allows us to see, not the flame in the cave. He learns of a reality beyond the one of the cave in which he was shackled. With this new knowledge of the outside world, the prisoner returns to the heart of the cave where the others are still bound and begins share his experience of the outside world. The other prisoners reject these new ideas, they cannot comprehend a world beyond the one they exist in, the