An excerpt from Plato's Republic, the 'Allegory of the Cave' is a classic commentary on the human condition. It is a story of open-mindedness and the power Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave" is a concept devised by the philosopher to ruminate on the nature of belief versus knowledge. The allegory states that there exists prisoners chained together in a cave. Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners are people carrying puppets or other objects As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughout history in all forms of art to illustrate or convey complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to its viewers
Allegory of the Cave by Plato - Summary and Meaning
The son of a wealthy and noble family, allegory essay, Plato B. was preparing for a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates B, allegory essay. changed the course of his life. He abandoned his political career and turned to philosophy, opening a school on the outskirts of Athens dedicated to the Socratic search for wisdom.
Plato's school, then known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from B. until A. Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. In the Allegory of the CavePlato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation.
The Allegory presents, in brief form, most of Plato's major allegory essay assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing student's minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise the Philosopher-King are the rulers.
The Allegory of the Allegory essay can be found in Book VII of Plato's best-known work, allegory essay, The Republica lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, allegory essay, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required allegory essay a Philosopher-King. The following selection is taken from the Benjamin Jowett translation Vintage, allegory essay, pp.
As you read the Allegorytry allegory essay make a mental picture of the cave Plato describes. Better yet, why not draw a picture of it and refer to it as you read the selection, allegory essay. In many ways, understanding Plato's Allegory of the Cave will make your foray into the world of philosophical thought much less burdensome. human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can allegory essay see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads.
Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. Some of them are talking, others silent, allegory essay. At first, when any of them allegory essay liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up allegory essay turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be allegory essay reply?
And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the allegory essay which are now shown to him?
When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
Would he not say with Homer. and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and allegory essay after their manner? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, allegory essay, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.
But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the allegory essay of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also allegory essay to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, allegory essay, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power allegory essay which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.
And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave.
Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue --how eager he is, allegory essay, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his allegory essay eyesight is forced into the service of evil, allegory essay, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, allegory essay, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the allegory essay of the blest, allegory essay.
he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better? Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received, allegory essay.
But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other allegory essay, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, allegory essay, and get the habit of seeing in the dark, allegory essay.
When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth, allegory essay.
And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that allegory essay other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, allegory essay in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst.
You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, allegory essay in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life.
Whereas if allegory essay go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the' own private advantage, allegory essay, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never allegory essay for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves allegory essay of the allegory essay State.
Do you know of any other? For, allegory essay, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight. Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the Allegory essay is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics?
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave The son of a wealthy and noble family, Plato B. Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? Return to the Lecture The History Guide copyright � Steven Kreis Last Revised -- April 13, allegory essay, Conditions of Use.
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave, allegory essay.
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For example, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is considered a classic allegory and a fundamental text in classical literature. In the story, Plato sets forth a narrative of people living in a cave who are only able to see objects as shadows. These shadows are reflected on the wall of the cave from firelight, and therefore the inhabitants of the cave cannot see the objects directly Apr 13, · The Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of Plato's best-known work, The Republic, a lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required of a Philosopher-King. The following selection is taken from the Benjamin Jowett translation Sep 21, · ‘ The Allegory of The Cave’ by Plato – The Meaning. The Allegory of the cave by Plato should not be taken at face value. In essays and exams, whoever is marking it expects you to have a deeper understanding of the meaning of the theory. You can then use these to think about criticisms and then to form your own opinion. The Cave
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