Myth Of The Cave Analysis
In Plato’s Myth of the Cave, he explains the ignorance of the current human situation by describing events that happened to men chained in a cave. These men were chained by the neck and legs, so they could only face the cave wall. As the men sit, they often see shadows of animals and humans from the flickering fire that is behind them. One day, a man is released from his chains to venture around the cave, making his way out of the cave. During his adventure, he experiences blindness from the light and witnesses the objects that cast shadows onto the cave’s walls. Unbeknownst to the men, everything they heard and saw were illusions. This story can be applied to my life by interpreting the cave as my mind and the objects that cast shadows on the cave walls as the world. In my mind, I have senses, a priori thought, and developed
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logic hardwired in my brain.
Therefore, I don’t have to question everything around me since I’ve experienced all of the things/events that are in my daily surroundings. This thought process however, can be very faulty and hinder me from obtaining new knowledge and logic. If I completely rely on my senses, like the men chained into the cave, I wouldn’t know what was really happening around me. Senses can only allow you to perceive what you have already experienced. This brain does not have the ability to depict the world around us accurately. We may see the sky as blue, because that is the closest pigment our vision and brain can absorb. The men in the cave only thought the shadows and sounds in the caves were animals and humans, because that’s what they can trace back to past experiences and senses. I think that Plato was trying to tell us that assuming what
something is without questioning it or experiencing it yourself, is human ignorance. We as human beings are hardwired to judge objects at face value. Judging things at face value isn’t necessarily a bad thing, unless you allow that judgement to hinder you from exploring the object further. If we explore outside of the cave to question and experience what’s outside of it, we can have a better understanding of the outside world. I think that there is a reason the world is full of different animal species, countries, cultures, and religions. I think that we as human beings are meant to explore the world to expand our senses and experiences.
Plato ends his parable by removing the prisoner from the outside world, placing him back into the cave with the chained prisoners he was once with. The second part of Plato’s argument was about obtaining knowledge by learning. I think that in today’s society, knowledge is powerful. I also think that passing down the knowledge you have gained to others, is even more powerful. I believe that the sharing of knowledge and experiences are key ingredients to humanity, by allowing individuals to become more acceptable of the things they have not experienced for themselves. For example, the Syrian refugees that are in need of new homes around the world. In social media and in the news, there are countless comments about how we should not allow Syrian refugees into the United States. If we allowed the Syrian refugees to tell us their struggles and experiences they have endured living in Syria, I think that would cause a ripple effect of compassion. By placing the shoe on the other foot so to speak, we can get a sense of what life is like through others by their personal experiences.
logic hardwired in my brain.
Therefore, I don’t have to question everything around me since I’ve experienced all of the things/events that are in my daily surroundings. This thought process however, can be very faulty and hinder me from obtaining new knowledge and logic. If I completely rely on my senses, like the men chained into the cave, I wouldn’t know what was really happening around me. Senses can only allow you to perceive what you have already experienced. This brain does not have the ability to depict the world around us accurately. We may see the sky as blue, because that is the closest pigment our vision and brain can absorb. The men in the cave only thought the shadows and sounds in the caves were animals and humans, because that’s what they can trace back to past experiences and senses. I think that Plato was trying to tell us that assuming what
something is without questioning it or experiencing it yourself, is human ignorance. We as human beings are hardwired to judge objects at face value. Judging things at face value isn’t necessarily a bad thing, unless you allow that judgement to hinder you from exploring the object further. If we explore outside of the cave to question and experience what’s outside of it, we can have a better understanding of the outside world. I think that there is a reason the world is full of different animal species, countries, cultures, and religions. I think that we as human beings are meant to explore the world to expand our senses and experiences.
Plato ends his parable by removing the prisoner from the outside world, placing him back into the cave with the chained prisoners he was once with. The second part of Plato’s argument was about obtaining knowledge by learning. I think that in today’s society, knowledge is powerful. I also think that passing down the knowledge you have gained to others, is even more powerful. I believe that the sharing of knowledge and experiences are key ingredients to humanity, by allowing individuals to become more acceptable of the things they have not experienced for themselves. For example, the Syrian refugees that are in need of new homes around the world. In social media and in the news, there are countless comments about how we should not allow Syrian refugees into the United States. If we allowed the Syrian refugees to tell us their struggles and experiences they have endured living in Syria, I think that would cause a ripple effect of compassion. By placing the shoe on the other foot so to speak, we can get a sense of what life is like through others by their personal experiences.