Essay On Plato's Cave

Are we all still prisoners of the cave? Does Plato’s cave still exist? Does modern information make us more “woke”? Plato’s allegory of the cave, presented in one of his most renowned works, The Republic, is one of the most widely known philosophical concepts. The chief idea of the cave is essentially that the world as we know it is made up of reflections of more perfect and ideal forms. It is often difficult for someone to emerge out of the cave for good, as Plato believes only a true philosopher has said capability. Nonetheless, with the plethora of information at our fingertips in today’s age, it is much easier to be cognizant of life outside of the cave. In modern times, the cave still promotes the idea of seeking the one behind the many; however, the current free flow of information in society allows citizens to periodically escape the cave more frequently as compared to Socratic and Platonic times. Throughout the entire book, Plato is attempting to define justice and what an overall just society would look like--he does this through using Socrates as his main character. Socrates’ conversations throughout the book continually show the different facets of a supremely just society--the cave is one aspect used to explain this. In book seven, …show more content…
Now, with just one Google search, a person can delve into the world of philosophy, starting to pose major questions that lead a person to seriously ponder his own existence. Hence, the key difference between our times and Platonic and Socratic times is the emergence of technology; it empowers people with the ability to scrutinize reality and constantly question aspects of life. Even if this only leads to an emergence from the cave for a period of time, it changes the way people live and the way they are socially and philosophically