The Pursuit Of Knowledge In Plato's Allegory The Cave

Everyone has the right to the pursuit of knowledge. Having knowledge can lead one to do great things, such as achieving academically, knowing what to do in cases of emergencies, or achieve certain goals in life. However, attaining knowledge doesn’t always come with happiness. Ecclesiastes states that, “in much wisdom is much grief, and an increase in knowledge is increase of sorrow”. As humans gain knowledge in different areas, we start to realize how each area relates to or coincides with the next area, and we are made aware of the more unfortunate aspects of knowledge. One may start to realize all the kinks in life that can cause our future to spiral out of control or begin to see that the majority of people, not knowing the goal of life, are misled and go astray, they also see what they did not yet attain, which may cause much pain and grief. One may say that a person’s happiest years on Earth are those he or she spends as a child. At a young age, children are oblivious to the outside world and are unaware of all the things that make the world tick. As people age or mature, they learn about these little things and start to analyze the world around them as well as their own lives, and they …show more content…
This man is forcefully dragged up a mountain in order to see the sun, or, the truth. Plato describes this journey as agonizing, from exiting the cave to scaling the mount to his eyes painfully adjusting to the light after being accustomed to the darkness and shadows. Those that remained in the cave were content and happy with their dark and secluded lives. These people’s ignorance directly correlates with their suffering. The one man who journeyed into the light suffered every step of the way. The truth incapacitates human beings, and unless given to us in small dosages, is impossible for us to adjust