The Allegory of the Cave
Arlet Duran
Response to “The Allegory of the Cave”
What is truth?
In “The Allegory of the Cave”, I believe truth is being portrayed as something we as humans see, maybe only once, without it even being the whole truth. Even then we neglect to see “other truths.” According to Socrates, and I quote, “From the beginning people like this have never managed, whether on their own or with the help by others, to see anything besides the shadows that are [continually] projected on the wall opposite them by the glow of fire.” Socrates believes humans will automatically assume something to be truthful, and with no actual evidence that we won’t even bother to look at the sight of whatever it may actually be. At then end, if someone would try to tell us otherwise, we will neglect the actual truth and still believe we know what the truth really is. Even if the actual truth was shown to us, and we were seeing it with the naked eye, it will not be enough to convince us otherwise of our own perception. However, I believe Socrates is saying that as humans, we need to be forced to look at the “real truth” and that it will take time to assimilate to once we’re forcibly presented with it. However afterwards, we will see the light; we will see the real truths behind what we previously believed to be false. After the truth has been revealed to us, we will assimilate to it permanently. Socrates states, and I quote, “But I think that finally he would be in the condition to look at the sun itself, not just at its reflection whether in water or wherever else it might appear, but at the sun itself, as it is….” However, knowing too much of the truth can lead to conflicts, and that is probably why so many things are hidden from us. Maybe our problem is not that we don’t want to see the truth, but that we are scared of what the outcome may be if we do know the real truths. What Socrates is saying may relate or connect to our lives in the sense that politics for example does not give
Response to “The Allegory of the Cave”
What is truth?
In “The Allegory of the Cave”, I believe truth is being portrayed as something we as humans see, maybe only once, without it even being the whole truth. Even then we neglect to see “other truths.” According to Socrates, and I quote, “From the beginning people like this have never managed, whether on their own or with the help by others, to see anything besides the shadows that are [continually] projected on the wall opposite them by the glow of fire.” Socrates believes humans will automatically assume something to be truthful, and with no actual evidence that we won’t even bother to look at the sight of whatever it may actually be. At then end, if someone would try to tell us otherwise, we will neglect the actual truth and still believe we know what the truth really is. Even if the actual truth was shown to us, and we were seeing it with the naked eye, it will not be enough to convince us otherwise of our own perception. However, I believe Socrates is saying that as humans, we need to be forced to look at the “real truth” and that it will take time to assimilate to once we’re forcibly presented with it. However afterwards, we will see the light; we will see the real truths behind what we previously believed to be false. After the truth has been revealed to us, we will assimilate to it permanently. Socrates states, and I quote, “But I think that finally he would be in the condition to look at the sun itself, not just at its reflection whether in water or wherever else it might appear, but at the sun itself, as it is….” However, knowing too much of the truth can lead to conflicts, and that is probably why so many things are hidden from us. Maybe our problem is not that we don’t want to see the truth, but that we are scared of what the outcome may be if we do know the real truths. What Socrates is saying may relate or connect to our lives in the sense that politics for example does not give