Meaning Of Life In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

Pope Paul VI accentuates the urging and age-old question of “What is the meaning, the aim of our life?” in the initial declaration of Nostra Aetate addressing the relations between Christians and those of Non-Christian beliefs (JOT 3). Nostra Aetate suggest fulfilling life through a harmonious bond between religions while practicing the lifestyle one desires. The foundation of the document exerts that the meaning of life is to explore the world, customs, and beliefs around one to find his or her purpose, where Plato emphasizes an identical message through a metaphorical story. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners draw conclusions solely based on what others show them as a perception of reality, however one should find an understanding the meaning of life through experiences of their own. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, prisoners are restricted by chains and confined in a cave that literally and figuratively lacks a light into the realities of the world outside. A wall separates the two worlds, but these prisoners form a concept of the real world based on the information they are fed. The prisoners cannot even raise their heads, but the shadows they see on the walls become their reality and the illusions are the meanings of life and all it holds for them. These men “have been here from their childhood, and have …show more content…
When the released prisoner returns to help his fellow hostages, they consider him to be insane and not the same person who once resided beside him. The prisoners wants to aid others to find their true self once he rediscovers himself. A new perspective on the world was shown to him and he utilizes it to alternate his beliefs and understanding that are changing him. He becomes who he was meant to be, a knowledgeable man exploring concepts beyond his competence – which Plato encourages as an aim to life for every