Preview

Plato's Cave

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
943 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Plato's Cave
In Plato's "Allegory of the cave" the believed perception of reality is portrayed through images of shadows on a wall, in a cave, where the only existence of reality is what is seen in front of one's eyes. In today's present-day the shadows still exist and are depicted in a different form of media through television, computers, movies, and ones personal cell phone. All which are a big part of our daily life. We all have a choice to accept the realities given to us and believe in the shadows created.
I believe that we create our own personal cave within the capacious political cave we are in. The shadows of today still give us a false sense of reality. We tend to believe what is in front of us and try to accept it as our own reality. When we watch television we are blinded by advertisement, false story lines, and images, that corrupt our mind due to …show more content…
Technology overall is a distraction from politics, which is the biggest cave of all, however, as a individual we can create our own cave and shadows by constantly doing the same thing or viewing the same thing over and over. Having too high expectations for the reality one lives, is okay if one wants to be oblivious of the truth. The bright light in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" was very blinding, very similar to knowing the truth. This is because the truth is very shocking to us, it hurts us, and it is crucial to understand.
In conclusion, I think that in Plato's " Allegory of the cave" relates to current events and it is amazing that an allegory written so long ago can still be relevant in today's modern society. Whether it is the media, personal opinion, or politics every single person lives in a cave and is observing shadows. We all have a choice to continue to believe what is In front of us and accept it as our reality or look beyond the walls of the cave to search for the truth of our own
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comparing Plato And Socrates 'Allegory Of The Cave'
    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparing Plato And Socrates 'Allegory Of The Cave'

    Allegory of the cave is written as a dialogue between Plato’s brother Glaucon and Socrates. It tells the story of human beings living in a cave. They have been there since they were little. Unfortunately, this is not a normal kind of life we would think of. These people were all sitting on the ground, tied in chains. Their necks, their legs, were all fettered, and they were only able to see what was right in front of them. They could not move their heads. Far above them there was a fire. Also, between them and the fire a wall was built, above which the puppets were shown. The only thing those people were able to see was the shadow of those puppets and they mistakenly thought that this shadow was actually the reality.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Plato's Allegory Of The Cave
    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What Is Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

    In Plato's Allegory of the Cave there were multiple beliefs brought upon by the prisoners of this cave. The prisoners of the cave are supposed to parallel everyday people in the sense of how reality is perceived. The prisoners of the cave believed and only knew that reality of the shadows and developed their own belief structure and way of processing that information. Plato connected that to everyday people due to the fact that although we strongly believe the reality we have made for ourselves, there can be more that we have never been exposed to. For example, when one of the prisoners were unchained and brought out of the cave into the world, he was overwhelmed and wanted to tell the other prisoners. Due to the fact that other prisoners could…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An Analysis of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
    • 591 Words
    • 2 Pages

    An Analysis of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

    Initially, I would say that Plato’s Allegory of the Cave doesn’t tell us anything about reality, and by doing so I would have to agree with the statement. My reasoning for this is straightforward and simple, Plato implies that the senses are completely useless, and by doing so he also implies that empiricist ways are also useless for they rely solely upon the senses. This shows to us that the Plato’s allegory cannot tell us anything about reality as we have survived for millions of years by using empiricist techniques, or more specifically the senses. It would simply be impossible for us to live without them. These senses are sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, and Plato claims that in order to understand reality we mustn’t use them, instead relying on rationalist techniques like logic and reason, this, in some circumstances couldn’t tell us a thing about reality. An example of this would be that we cannot gain all of our knowledge through thinking alone. For example, I could think of a fruit like an apple or banana and I could think of what it would possibly taste like, however, you wouldn’t be able to imagine the taste, this simply isn’t possible. We couldn’t just think that bananas or apples taste delicious because we don’t actually know how they would taste without actually eating it, and if we were to do this we would have to rely on the sense of taste, an empiricist sense, this clearly shows how the Analogy of the Cave cannot possibly tell us anything about reality as humanity relies on empiricism for the most basic of tasks as my example above clearly shows.…

    • 591 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Plato's Allegory Of The Cave
    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

    Allegory of the Cave is a dialog between Socrates and Gloucon in The Republic written by Plato. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Socrates depicts a long, dark cave with a small opening that allows a small amount of light to enter. Inside the cave there group of prisoners, who have been in the cave for their entire lives. The prisoners legs and necks are chained to the cave floor so they are unable to move and can only look forward at the cave wall. At the back of the cave there is a fire that they are never able to view. In between the prisoners and the fire there is a low wall with a path behind it, along which people carry pictures, puppets, and statues. These pictures, puppets and statues are all the prisoners are able to see, and the echoes of the puppeteers when they speak are all they are able to hear. Although the prisoners are chained they are still content because all they have ever known are the shadows. None of them have ever seen anything beyond the cave and have no desire to do so. However one prisoner wakes up to find that he is no longer chained to the floor, and is able to leave the cave. Once the prisoner is outside he realizes that the shadows are not real. The prisoner then decides to return to the cave, to free the other prisoners, however reentering the cave would make his eyes have to…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Plato's Allegory Of The Cave Analysis
    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Plato's Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

    Plato’s Allegory of the Cave envisions the world as a dark cave, with human beings as trapped prisoners, and all of their experiences as nothing but shadows on a wall. Plato was an Ancient Greek philosopher who founded the Academy and is the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence in Western thought. Plato is informing us of the world around us, and is guiding the reader in the journey from ignorance to wisdom.…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    "Shooting an Elephant" Synthesis Essay
    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "Shooting an Elephant" Synthesis Essay

    In “The Allegory of the Cave,” Plato embodied a metaphor that compares the way in which we see and believe is actual reality. He creates a cave where prisoners are chained down and are forced to stare at the dark wall in front of them. They are sheltered from any light. You can also perceive this in a different sense, for example all that they see in the world is darkness and that they do not know the difference between what is real and what they consider as “real.” “Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Plato's Analogy Of The Cave
    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Plato's Analogy Of The Cave

    Plato suggests that reality is only ‘real’ because of the form of the good (the sun), but the prisoners only have the fire, a copy of the form of the good, and not the sun – the highest form of the good- which is discovered when escaping the cave and into the world of the forms. He also suggests the ‘reality’ is an illusion given to us by our empirical knowledge. In other words, the cave (the world around us) would be the ‘real world’ illusion given unto us by our senses (empirical knowledge), Plato believed that we should never trust our senses, only our ability to reason and our logic.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Allegory Of The Cave
    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Analysis Of Allegory Of The Cave

    The prisoners in the story were only allowed to see shadows in the cave and it’s what they believed as true. In the story Plato states that the prisoners came to know reality as nothing more as “the shadows of those artificial objects” (Plato 50). Most people have only seen a narrow and small perspective of the world with a skewed sense of reality. They only know what’s happening around the globe from what’s told through the news outlets and from the surroundings. Lack of knowledge of things they haven’t seen or people they haven’t encountered before is someone’s personal “cave”. Throughout the story the theme of not believing everything you see and hear is prevalent and can be used in every person’s life.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analyzing Plato's The Myth Of The Cave
    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analyzing Plato's The Myth Of The Cave

    Is it true that from the first day you were born until the day you die you are surrounded by false shadows-false shadows that are made by our peers in order to keep us from making our own decisions and realizations? According to “The Myth of the Cave” written by Plato, that is exactly how the world works. From my standing point I couldn’t agree more. Our society is constantly being manipulated. Whether it’s by false advertisements or somebody else’s behavior, society is constantly controlling the way we think.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    False Images In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave
    • 194 Words
    • 1 Page

    False Images In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

    In Plato’s allegory of the cave, Plato starts with describing a scenario where prisoners are chained up in chairs since birth that prevents them from moving or turning their heads. These prisoners are limited to facing a wall inside a cave. These prisoners witness images displayed on the wall which are shadows that are made by a group of people who are in front of a fire displaying statues of various objects. These prisoners believe that the shadows are the most real things in the world since they have never been exposed to anything else.…

    • 194 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Plato's the Allegory and the Cave
    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Plato's the Allegory and the Cave

    -What does Plato mean by "shadows" in his Allegory of the Cave? What are the "shadows" of our times?…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Plato Cave
    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Plato Cave

    In the Allegory of the Cave by Plato, there was a group of prisoners who lived in a cave since they were born. These people could not see anything besides straight ahead from where they were. Behind these prisoners there was a fire and puppets in which they told stories. The prisoners were able to see the shadows caused by the fire and puppets, because that was the only thing they saw they believed that the shadows were the most real things in this world. The shadows told stories about people, trees, men etc. which made the prisoner believe that shadows themselves were the real people, tree, men and etc. Plato uses this to demonstrates imagination itself. One of the prisoners was freed and was forced to look at what was behind them; the fire and puppets causing the shadows. The prisoner was confused and realized what was behind them. He came to realize that there were more real things out there than the shadows themselves. Plato here is demonstrating the stage of belief. Soon after the freed prisoner is taken outside the cave into the real…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Allegory of the Cave
    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Allegory of the Cave

    The "Allegory of the Cave" by Plato represents an extended metaphor that is to contrast the way in which we perceive and believe in what is reality. The thesis behind his allegory is the basic tenets that all we perceive are imperfect "reflections" of the ultimate Forms, which subsequently represent truth and reality. The purpose of this allegory defines clearly the process of enlightenment. For a man to be enlightened, he must above all desire the freedom to explore and express himself. Plato's main concept of the cave is: people see reality as the visible world when reality really is more than the visible world.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Allegory Of The Cave In Plato's Republic
    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Allegory Of The Cave In Plato's Republic

    The allegory of the cave in Plato’s Republic is a metaphor meant to illustrate Plato’s views on knowledge but also strengthens his perception of the noble lie in society, an idea that is still very relevant today. It is designed to ask the fundamental question of: “What is the truth?” This is a clear reference Plato’s ideology that rests upon the sworn duty that Guardians make towards the state and it is hence emphasized by this analogy. The journey that one makes to be able to attain that superior state is full of hardships1(The Republic, 516, a) but it is meant to illustrate the route the Guardians take to attain the Philosopher-King status. It is what leads a man to enlightenment but also establishes a supreme duty for whoever discovers…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Allegory Of The Cave Commentary
    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Allegory Of The Cave Commentary

    Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is the factual perception on what human’s ignorant minds accept whatever they perceive without envisioning the reality. His use of “dark” imagery illustrates how a person is trapped and isolated in his own “cave” and conceives everything without visually seeing the “light” outside the cave. He conveys the idea that the “prisoners” are stuck and “chained” in their own reality because they were only shown one perspective from “childhood”. Plato wisely suggests the idea of using our senses and how we individually depend on them to find the truth outside of our “cave”. Morality being that the prisoners can remain in the cave, scared of knowing the truth.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics