Essay on Allegory of the Cave- Plato Republic - 1039 Words

llegory Anthony Guerra Professor Neilson Philosophy amp; Ethics 14 October 2010 The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix Book VII of The Republic begins with Socrates’ â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† The purpose of this allegory is to â€Å"make an image of our nature in its education and want of education† in other words, it illustrates Socrates’ model of education. In addition, the allegory corresponds perfectly to the analogy of the divided line. However, this Cave Analogy is also an applicable theme in modern times, for example, the movie, The Matrix, is loosely based off the Allegory. The cave is underground and dark; it consists of human beings who have been living down there since childhood. These people are almost like prisoners since†¦show more content†¦In Socrates’ mind education is not simply an information exchange; rather it is a painful experience, since all that one had previously believed is typically wrong. This painful experience can be seen as the â€Å"philosopher† turns around and stares into t he light and eventually learning that everything he had experienced in life were just shadows. These shadows in the cave are mere images, the lowest of the epistemological form of knowledge in the divided line. The objects which produce these shadows are the sense particulars. The sense particulars can then be counted e.g. three tree â€Å"puppets† this ability to count corresponds to the mathematical objects level of the divided line. Then once the person leaves the cave, he is able to see the actual forms, not just shadows or puppets, he is able to see the real object, and this conforms to the forms. Lastly, the sun is the thing that makes all life possible which is analogous to the ultimate Good which make all of the forms of knowledge even possible. In contemporary times, the Allegory of the Cave can be seen being played out in the movie The Matrix. In the movie, there are two worlds, the world which people live, a computer generated dream world, and the city of the robot s. The people in the world do not know that they are prisoners of the robots or even think that they are prisoners, in fact, they do not even knowShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Plato s Republic, We Read About The Allegory Of The Cave1644 Words   |  7 PagesBrooke Green 06/23/2015 PHIL-2306-015 In Plato’s Republic, we read about the â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† The prisoners in the story are relevant to anyone in today’s society who is unable to question anything they see or hear. Those who embrace anything they are told, as the truth, without the use of fact-finding questions, is an example of the relevance in today’s world. 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Over the duration of his life Plato wrote many books, and his mostRead MoreEssay about Platos Allegory of the Cave1305 Words   |  6 PagesPlato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is the most significant and influential analogy in his book, The Republic. This thorough analogy covers many of the images Plato uses as tools throughout The Republic to show why the four virtues, also known as forms, are what create good. The â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, however, is not one of the simplest representations used by Plato. Foremost, to comprehend these images such as the â€Å"divided line† or Plato’s forms, one must be able to understand this allegory and all ofRead More Foundations of Political Thought Essays1664 Words   |  7 Pagessimilarities mainly evident in their denouncement of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates expressed and written by his pupil Plato are vastly philosophical in nature and he promotes the idea of questioning life to achieve insight. 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