The Allegory In Plato's The Republic

Introduction: Over the course of human history there have been a number of highly influential philosophers who have helped shape modern political science. Yet, few can claim to have made as large of an impact on political theory as Plato and his seminal work The Republic. The book takes the form of a dialogue between Socrates and a variety of different individuals, and touches upon a number of subjects, such as the nature of justice, and debating whether the just or unjust man is happier. Despite having put forward a wide collection of arguments, The Republic, and in many ways Plato himself, has had their philosophical legacy defined by the Allegory of the Cave in Book VII. While those who read Plato’s Allegory likely conclude that it is …show more content…
Like the prisoners of the cave, we are born into a comfortable slavery, as we prefer to simply accept what we are told as fact, rather than investigate for ourselves. This is because all humans long for the comfort and security of a world filled with few questions; a world full of readily comprehensible questions and answers. What we desire most in life is the original paradise of the prisoners of the cave, and the simplicity of the world they live in. But, a situation such as this is an illusion, and merely the paradise of fools. Additionally, this situation is quite tragic, as humans misperceive their position to be one of freedom, when in reality this could not be further from the …show more content…
By establishing the premise that humans are naturally submissive and simply desire comfort in their lives to be content, he advances the notion that education is the best means to break the illusion for prisoners. However, many individuals would rather live in a false paradise than have to deal with the world they have known their whole life being dismantled in front of them. And, this fear and hesitancy is quite evident in the world of politics, as many people try to resist political efforts to progress our societies out of the fear of change. This, coupled with the risk of ideologies serving as a means to re-blind former prisoners into another paradise of ignorance, with them simply accepting and believing what they are told, only stresses the importance of properly educating individuals to think for themselves in all aspects of life, especially politics. For what is the point of freeing someone from the cave, only for them to proceed to follow a new puppetmaster above ground? Thus, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave lays out a clear framework for how to overcome our submissive nature and achieve enlightenment, while also making the reader well aware of the potential consequences should we stray from this