Chess vs platos caves

Chains of Society

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave describes a gathering of subjects who have lived chained to a blank wall of a cave all of their lives. These slaves watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a smoldering fire behind them, and begin to give these shadows names. The shadows were the closest thing to reality for the prisoners. Then one person breaks away from the cave, realizing that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality, this slave begins to form the idea of what identity really is. It is then his job to attempt to enlighten these ignorant prisoners. Identity is only what one allows himself to perceive. In the game of chess, one would begin with 16 subjects: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each subject moves differently. Pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent’s pieces. Chess is played on a square board of eight ranks and eight files of squares, the colors of the 64 squares alternate and are referred to as light and dark squares. Pieces are divided, by convention into black and white sets. Each chess piece as its own style of moving. The king moves one square in any direction, the rook can move any number of squares along any rank or file, but may not leap over other pieces; who is also involved during the king’s castling move. The bishop can move any number o squares diagonally, but may not leap over other pieces. The knight moves only in the form of an “L”. Last, but not least, the pawn, may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in the front of it on the same file or on its first move it may advance two squares along the same file only if both squares are unoccupied; or the pawn may capture an opponent’s piece on a square diagonally. The front row consists of the kings, bishops, and queens; pretty much the people in charge of a society. The second row is made up of pawns; they are the least important and were used to benefit themselves. They were meant to be used at their own disposal. The pawn appears to most as the “weakest link”. Although when a pawn advances to the eighth rank it is promoted; usually to the position of a queen, in some cases another piece could be chosen. A pawn can be pushed and made into something higher, but only if its capabilities are used to its advantages. The black pawn; beseeched by ethnic superiority. He is the one who retains the most inconsiderable amount of education; the one who we see and spontaneously assume that he pushes crystalline tropane alkaloid, or because he seems to be a bit lofty he shoots hoops for a living. Although, say one is promoted and becomes the president of a nation then what? The identity of this ethnicity would have hoped to gain a new perception. In every society there is a front row that chains us to the walls of ignorance, and leaves our minds to rot in this cave. It is then, one realizes that in order to gain a new identity one must unleash themselves from the bondage of mental slavery and rise above stereotypes; not only for themselves but for the benefit of a whole society; a pawn can be pushed and made into something higher, but only if its capabilities are used to its advantages.