Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1.       According to Socrates, The Allegory of the Cave represents that some people are oblivious to the things (knowledge) they are missing out on due to the restraints they put on themselves.

2.       The key elements of imagery in The Allegory of the Cave are the cave which represents the sheltered reality we are housed in, the light that alludes to the flow of knowledge, and the sun which represents knowledge as a whole.

3.       The allegory suggests that the process of enlightenment or education involves individuals pursuing it for themselves. We learn through our own experiences, it is difficult to just take the word of others.

4.       The imagery of the shackles and the cave show that the prisoners feel like they are trapped, like they can’t change things around them.

5.       Today I think stereotypes narrow the minds of many and therefore prohibit them from exploring truths that knowledge reveals. I also think tradition traps us into thinking we have to stay inside the box and not expand our ways of thinking.

6.       The freed prisoner now believes in a new reality and is forever changed because he has been exposed to the light that knowledge brings. He now pities those underground because their reality is such a dim representation of the truth. Below, the prisoners are still content with their positions because they are unaware of what is above them.

7.       Lack of clarity in the allegory can come from either leaving the cave and being blinded by the sun (knowledge) or entering the cave and being disappointed with the darkness.

8.       Prisoners gain freedom when they free themselves of the shackles that have bound them for so long. The have to take the journey themselves in order to fully understand the exponential benefits of life beyond the cave.

9.       I do agree that there is a distinction between appearance and reality. Often times we are deceived by things we see and we find out later that what we believed to be true was just an illusion all along. What we see today is often modified through things such as media and the press to present something that may not be an exact representation of reality.

10.    If Socrates is incorrect people will continue to view reality synonymously with appearance and therefore will never question what is put in front of them. Without questioning or doubt, people will remain prisoners in the cave and will forever be shackled into the darkness.