Analyzing The Allegory Of The Cave In Book VII Of Plato's Republic
In book VII of Plato’s Republic, Plato provides us with quite possibly the most famous allegory in all of western philosophy. An allegory, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, can be defined as a story or poem that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. This is exactly what Plato does for us in the allegory of the cave, it allows one to go in depth and be able to see a visual interpretation of the divided line of which Plato describes earlier in the text.
The allegory begins with four prisoners chained in the bottom of a cave since birth, unable to move and only able to look at the wall ahead of them. Behind the prisoners is a long entryway in which there is a raging fire. From time to time people come forth and hold statues …show more content…
in front of the fire which casts shadows on the wall for the prisoners to see. This being all that the prisoners have known since birth, it is no surprise that the prisoners take the shadows as true beings. Eventually one prisoner is released and compelled by another to turn around. When he turns around the prisoner sees the fire and the statues casting the shadows and is dazed. He now realizes that what he has known his entire life was nothing more than an illusion. Thereafter, the prisoner is reluctantly coaxed from the cave and into the light of day. Upon entering the new world above, he undergoes immense pain because his eyes aren’t used to being in the sun, and he is unable to see anything. Little by little the prisoner is able to see better and better. He is first able to see reflections in water, then of the objects themselves. Finally, he is able to look at the sun and everything around him and is able to make sense and understand the world around him.
This allegory can simply be interpreted as one’s journey to the coming of knowledge.
Everyone begins inside the cave or the “visible” realm as Plato calls it. This is symbolic for the ever-changing world that we live in. It is here in the “visible” realm that one can only see representations or likenesses of a form. In other words, one is unable to see things for what they really are, and won’t be able to while residing in this realm. It isn’t until one moves outside the cave or into the “intelligible” realm that one is able to discern forms for what they truly are. It is only here that the forms remain constant and we are able to recognize them. The “visible” realm wouldn’t be possible because everything that exists in the “visible” realm comes from the forms of the “intelligible” realm. In my opinion, a majority of the people in society today are exactly like the prisoners of the allegory. They only know what they see, and aren’t even aware that everything they know is only an illusion of the truth. That is, until someone comes along and persuades them to look at what is really the truth. Even then most are reluctant to do so because the path to knowledge is a long and grueling one. Most would just rather stay in the comfort of the cave rather than getting out. Ultimately it all boils down to if you want to know the truth or not. No one can give you knowledge, you have to seek it out on your
own.
The allegory begins with four prisoners chained in the bottom of a cave since birth, unable to move and only able to look at the wall ahead of them. Behind the prisoners is a long entryway in which there is a raging fire. From time to time people come forth and hold statues …show more content…
in front of the fire which casts shadows on the wall for the prisoners to see. This being all that the prisoners have known since birth, it is no surprise that the prisoners take the shadows as true beings. Eventually one prisoner is released and compelled by another to turn around. When he turns around the prisoner sees the fire and the statues casting the shadows and is dazed. He now realizes that what he has known his entire life was nothing more than an illusion. Thereafter, the prisoner is reluctantly coaxed from the cave and into the light of day. Upon entering the new world above, he undergoes immense pain because his eyes aren’t used to being in the sun, and he is unable to see anything. Little by little the prisoner is able to see better and better. He is first able to see reflections in water, then of the objects themselves. Finally, he is able to look at the sun and everything around him and is able to make sense and understand the world around him.
This allegory can simply be interpreted as one’s journey to the coming of knowledge.
Everyone begins inside the cave or the “visible” realm as Plato calls it. This is symbolic for the ever-changing world that we live in. It is here in the “visible” realm that one can only see representations or likenesses of a form. In other words, one is unable to see things for what they really are, and won’t be able to while residing in this realm. It isn’t until one moves outside the cave or into the “intelligible” realm that one is able to discern forms for what they truly are. It is only here that the forms remain constant and we are able to recognize them. The “visible” realm wouldn’t be possible because everything that exists in the “visible” realm comes from the forms of the “intelligible” realm. In my opinion, a majority of the people in society today are exactly like the prisoners of the allegory. They only know what they see, and aren’t even aware that everything they know is only an illusion of the truth. That is, until someone comes along and persuades them to look at what is really the truth. Even then most are reluctant to do so because the path to knowledge is a long and grueling one. Most would just rather stay in the comfort of the cave rather than getting out. Ultimately it all boils down to if you want to know the truth or not. No one can give you knowledge, you have to seek it out on your
own.