Allegory of the Cave
Allegory of The Cave
Plato is the most creative and influential person among the disciples of the Socrates. He wrote dialogues in which he frequently used the figures of Socrates to expose personal philosophy. Plato summarized his views in the “Allegory of the Cave” article by illustrating an image of ignorant humankind, trapped up deep, and not even being aware of its own limited perspective. By this, he means that rare people manage to escape the confines of the cave and, through a long, difficult intellectual journey, notices a higher understanding of life. He then illustrates that such kind of a person is the best as he or she is well equipped and therefore can govern the society because he or she has enough knowledge of what is ultimately most important in life but not just knowledge of techniques. However, a person with such knowledge and skills will most of the time be misunderstood by those other ordinary people who are still in the cave and have not shared in the intellectual insight. This means that prisoners who are in the cave are not able to see reality, but only a shadowy representation of it.
The importance of the allegory of the cave lies in Plato's belief that in the world, there are some things which are only invisible truths found under the apparent surface of things that can only be grasped or understood by the intellectuals. Used to world of illusion in the cave, the prisoners have the tendency to refuse to be enlightened just like students are caring of opposing education. However, according to Plato's story, those who accept and achieve enlightenment need to be the leaders and rulers of all the rest. In addition, he illustrates that education is not just an approach of forcing knowledge into empty minds, but it is a process of making people recognize that which they are already aware of (Plato &Jowett, 1941).
Most of Plato's philosophical assumptions are represented in the Allegory of the cave where he beliefs that the world we see or the
Plato is the most creative and influential person among the disciples of the Socrates. He wrote dialogues in which he frequently used the figures of Socrates to expose personal philosophy. Plato summarized his views in the “Allegory of the Cave” article by illustrating an image of ignorant humankind, trapped up deep, and not even being aware of its own limited perspective. By this, he means that rare people manage to escape the confines of the cave and, through a long, difficult intellectual journey, notices a higher understanding of life. He then illustrates that such kind of a person is the best as he or she is well equipped and therefore can govern the society because he or she has enough knowledge of what is ultimately most important in life but not just knowledge of techniques. However, a person with such knowledge and skills will most of the time be misunderstood by those other ordinary people who are still in the cave and have not shared in the intellectual insight. This means that prisoners who are in the cave are not able to see reality, but only a shadowy representation of it.
The importance of the allegory of the cave lies in Plato's belief that in the world, there are some things which are only invisible truths found under the apparent surface of things that can only be grasped or understood by the intellectuals. Used to world of illusion in the cave, the prisoners have the tendency to refuse to be enlightened just like students are caring of opposing education. However, according to Plato's story, those who accept and achieve enlightenment need to be the leaders and rulers of all the rest. In addition, he illustrates that education is not just an approach of forcing knowledge into empty minds, but it is a process of making people recognize that which they are already aware of (Plato &Jowett, 1941).
Most of Plato's philosophical assumptions are represented in the Allegory of the cave where he beliefs that the world we see or the