Allegory Of The Cave Essay

Acclaimed inventor and physicist Nikola Tesla once said that “it is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects.” When man becomes enlightened, he becomes aware of mankind’s limitations both individually and societally. Alongside this enlightenment, the introduction of new ideas and the edification of others enhances the progression of society. This idea of the truth of enlightenment is explored in both “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, and The Matrix by the Wachowski sisters. Both works discuss the concepts of ignorance, enlightenment, and
In the allegory, Plato writes about a prisoner being freed from his cave of darkness and the pain he feels as he becomes enlightened. This pain, however, is outweighed by the bewilderment of his new reality, and he descends back into the cave to retrieve others. Furthermore, in The Matrix the Wachowskis write about Neo, who escapes his false reality and becomes enlightened by the help of Morpheus and his team of intellects. After training, Neo goes back into his false reality to save others who believe their surroundings to be true, which ultimately leads to a unified society. In both works, limitations and boundaries are overcome, and they lead to the enlightenment and elucidation of society. Just as Tesla said, it is only through the enlightenment of the human race that the limitations of man are known, and that it is the duty of man to help others achieve truth for the unity of the state, of society, and of