Plato's Ideology: The Allegory Of The Cave
Alyssa Ness
Honors English 4B
September 7, 2010
Plato’s Ideology “The Allegory of the Cave” demonstrates many of Plato’s beliefs, impacting the way he views education.
…the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being… (Plato 5).
This quote implies Plato’s argument that humans have the potential of obtaining a considerable amount of knowledge, without actually being conscious of it. Likewise, education should not aim at putting knowledge into the mind and soul, thus, turning the mind and soul …show more content…
For instance, “…for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise…” (Plato 5). The stages of the cave embody the stages of life in the beginning of the text. Plato entails that we must all proceed through the lower stages of life in order to overtake the higher stages. Everyone begins using their imagination, believing these things are the most real things in the world. We begin deep in the cave, using education as a struggle to move out as far out of the cave as possible, passing through each stage of imagination, questioning and determining the most real things in the world until we attain the stage of …show more content…
The people who have now seen the most real things in the world must help others bring their knowledge seen in order to see the just and good in their truth. They owe the city this gratitude and service. For instance, “being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received” (Plato 6). They cannot understand something they have never known, therefore, those who have found this goodness or enlightenment have a duty to be responsible leaders to the others who do not share this
Honors English 4B
September 7, 2010
Plato’s Ideology “The Allegory of the Cave” demonstrates many of Plato’s beliefs, impacting the way he views education.
…the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being… (Plato 5).
This quote implies Plato’s argument that humans have the potential of obtaining a considerable amount of knowledge, without actually being conscious of it. Likewise, education should not aim at putting knowledge into the mind and soul, thus, turning the mind and soul …show more content…
For instance, “…for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise…” (Plato 5). The stages of the cave embody the stages of life in the beginning of the text. Plato entails that we must all proceed through the lower stages of life in order to overtake the higher stages. Everyone begins using their imagination, believing these things are the most real things in the world. We begin deep in the cave, using education as a struggle to move out as far out of the cave as possible, passing through each stage of imagination, questioning and determining the most real things in the world until we attain the stage of …show more content…
The people who have now seen the most real things in the world must help others bring their knowledge seen in order to see the just and good in their truth. They owe the city this gratitude and service. For instance, “being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received” (Plato 6). They cannot understand something they have never known, therefore, those who have found this goodness or enlightenment have a duty to be responsible leaders to the others who do not share this