Others may continue questioning their existing values, feeling disillusioned until they build their values on the concrete foundations of truth. These are the type of people who constitute the crowd, who dedicate their lives to the status quo, and who hold anyone and anything new as a danger to their survival.
Some may decide to suppress their questions and flow in the same direction the society had taken despite the consequences. This discovery does not lead everyone to the same path. To state it clearly, we begin to see that the things we hold as our values are contradictory to one another. At other times, our family values are opposed to our societal values. At times our political views are contrary to our religious views. As we grow up and attempt to question the reality surrounding us, we begin to see that we hold conflicting views and values. The truth of these narratives is taken for granted and we try to live up to the expectations set by our ancestors. We all learn our realities and truths from the historical, cultural, religious and any other form of narratives that instill in us the values of life.
To begin with, we shall consider the cave as a country and the reality outside the cave as the truth which ought to exist as the foundation upon which we build all nations.Įvery person is born and raised in a society or a country which has already established the rules of the game. We shall now treat each separately by showing the distinct and shared responsibilities they have in order to escape the cave – our false realities. This story carries a lesson for the people, the intellectuals, and the leaders. Let us reflect on the allegory of the cave and learn from the lessons it embodies for our state of affairs. Yet, assuming the intelligent possesses courage and compassion for the people, in the end, the truth triumphs and the people will be able to share the truth and get rid of their illusions. This may make him regret coming back and reach the decision that it is better to abandon them or, even worse, trick them into becoming his unquestioning followers. This task is the most difficult one because the cave people have already established their world around shadows and echoes, which makes them doubt the actual truth their former citizen has brought to them. Upon remembering the fellow prisoners in the cave, this person feels pity and decides to descend back to the cave and show the truth to the people. But eventually, the former cave-dweller questions the illusions once taken as realities and grows accustomed to the truth. The reality this person observes for the first time pains the eyes and makes it hard to comprehend. With this background, Socrates wants us to suppose that one of the prisoners or dwellers is released and walks out of the cave. In the cave, the shadows and the echoes establish reality and truth. When they hear sounds, they assume it is the sound of the shadows. There is a fire blazing outside, and they only see the shadows of the things and people. Thus, they have no way of looking or knowing the existence of a world outside the den.
Socrates paints a picture of people living in a cave since childhood, their hands and necks chained facing the walls so all they see are shadows. Read through it and compare the two texts presented.Octo() - In Plato’s ‘The Republic’ there is a chapter that treats the idea of truth in relation to the people and their ‘intelligent’ leader. Interested in comparing Plato’s Allegory of the Cave to a real-life issue such as alcohol and addiction? Visit the New York Times Learning Network Text to Text and follow the lesson. Even if none of that interests you, chances are you’ve already seen the Allegory of the Cave interpreted as a major blockbuster film. You may also want to read a summary of the Theory of Forms and how it relates to language. How does the visual representation give you a different perspective from reading the Allegory of the Cave? Want to see two different visual representations of this allegory? Watch this version of Plato’s allegory in clay animation or this one narrated by Orson Welles! Each is a bit different, but provide a unique representation of Plato’s allegory. To better understand the allegory’s larger context, try reading the rest of The Republic by Plato and these classic lectures. Want to read the Allegory of the Cave in its complete format? Go to this site and get started.