Plato’s Allegory Of The Cave: My Reflection

downloadDownload
  • Words 415
  • Page 1
Download PDF

It is profound and ironic that in life, we really can’t deny that humans are more intelligent than any other animals. As a matter of fact, humans have the ability to create theories, interpret and utilize logic and rationality, and evolve millions of years ago. However, there is still a lingering question that we should attempt to answer: What really is reality? Does it really exist? In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, which can be found in Book VII of “The Republic”, it attempts to answer the abovementioned intriguing question.

The tale starts with an image drawn by a group of prisoners who have spent their whole lives being bound and chained to the wall of a dark cave. To give us more background of the daily routines of these three prisoners in the cave, since they were all facing the wall, they watch the shadows of people, objects, and animals displayed onto a blank wall. With this, the prisoners thought that the shadows are accurate since it already molded their reality.

Click to get a unique essay

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

Now, picture this scenario. One of the prisoners was able to escape the cave, and for the first time ever, he was exposed to sunlight and the surrounding. This illustrates that he can now actually witness the true shapes, forms, and reality behind the shadows. If I were in the shoes of the prisoner who has been enlightened, I would definitely go back and tell the people I’ve spent my life with that there is a genuine “reality” outside of the dark caves.

But in the Allegory of the Cave, when the prisoner came back with the news, the chained-up prisoners neglected what he was saying and thought that he was crazy for trying to inject an idea that there is a genuine reality out of the shadows that they have seen all throughout their lives.

We can also relate this to our current situation, and in this world that we live in, let’s pretend that the people in the cave are those who reject and refuse to accept the truth by allowing money, power, misleading information, rule over them. It is safe to say that these ideas that the people seem to stick with are the norms that we’ve all been told to adhere to since early adolescence just because of the “common agreement”. Sadly, holding with this kind of mindset only leads to lost chances, opportunities, and ineptitude. We would never have known how much more truth there really was outside the cave.

image

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.