plato Essay - 1175 Words

Discuss Plato’s Parable of the Cave. Plato’s parable of the cave, also known as the â€Å"allegory of the cave, opulently describes beneficial metaphors and elaborate imagery about knowledge, ignorance, truth and lastly enlightenment. The allegory of the cave appears at the beginning of Book VII of Plato’s The Republic, which in itself is principally a study of justice, government and leadership. In The Republic, Plato describes a cave containing individuals confined to the cave floor, bound by shackles. They are unable to move their heads and stare incessantly at the cave wall directly in front of them. The prisoners cannot see one another. Behind the prisoners burns a fire projecting images of objects, animals and individuals carrying†¦show more content†¦The analogy is attempting to encourage individuals to realize the danger of acceptance and complacency. Only when we question and search do we have the chance to become truly free. When freed from our cave - enlightenment is possible. â€Å" The prisoners initial reaction of escaping from the cave is one of fear and confusion, a desire to return to the comfort and security of what he had lived with all his life even though now he is aware it’s all an illusion†(Jackson R 23) Everything the prisoner once believed to be real is now a figment of his imagination and his past environment. This realization at first is frightening, He recognizes that the objects he now sees are real objects and what he has experienced his whole life was simply shadows. Escaping from the cave is a turning point in the prisoner’s life. His prior knowledge is questioned thanks to his heightened sense of consciousness. Plato implies people’s lives and there ability to think rationally is limited by their experiences. This phenomenon is reflecting through the shackled cave men’s lack of awareness of the world and there inability to distinguish what is real from what is not. The cave analogy explores the danger and human tendency of becoming docile consumers. Simply accepting familiarity as knowledge disallows for human growth and permits individual’s knowledge and experiences to simplyShow MoreRelatedPlato And Plato s Republic1119 Words   |  5 PagesThe ancient Greek Philosopher Plato had an interest in finding the ideal government. In Plato’s Republic, he discusses his ideas and views of how this ideal government would function. He believed that people are born into 3 different classes, with different responsibilities (Plato 415a). Only people in the â€Å"golden† class were fit to rule. The most effective of these rulers would be philosophers, as they have kno wledge of the good of the whole (Plato 473d). This system seems too perfect for me. IRead MorePlato967 Words   |  4 Pageswould wish the best for a friend regardless of the friend’s usefulness to them or what pleasure he could attain. Having been raised to strive to attain these virtues, the need for a reason to do so becomes pointless. Another difference is that Plato believes that the best type of good is one that is desirable both in itself and for the sake of its results, while Aristotle says that if X is desired because it brings you to Y, then Y is ultimately better than X. Therefore, the highest good is oneRead MorePlato And Plato s The Apology1623 Words   |  7 Pagesmore interested in determining how the world worked and its origins/cosmology, as oppose to philosophers such as Plato And Socrates who focused more on ethics or morality. Plato’s conception of God and religion can be depicted in his literatures â€Å"Euthyphro† and â€Å"The Apology† which he expresses through his writings of Socrates in dialogue formation. While one may assume that both Plato and Socrates shared analogous notions of God and religion it is impossible to truly know given the Socratic problemRead MoreThe Republic By Plato Vs. Plato1299 Words   |  6 PagesThe Republic by Plato is an vision of an utopian society established through the character of Socrates. Many aspects of Plato’s society appears utopian; however, it can also be viewed dystopian as it is mere subjectiveness. Many of Plato’s arguments apply to current day society; for example, Donald Trump’s rise to power depicts democracy degenerating to despotism. Plato’s Republic is utopian in idealistic terms because the most qualified individual is in charge of society who is able to extend hisRead MoreComparison Between Plato And Plato1101 Words   |  5 Pagesmorality is, how to create justice inside and outside society, the state of nature, equality, and the state of war. They distinguish how the people and government help create a well-oiled society. Comparing Plato to Rousseau, the beginning of philosophy to a more modern perspective. In Crito by Plato, Socrates continues a speech of the Laws of Athens by appealing to a social contract that exists between the Laws and the citizens. By living in Athens, one must abide by the Laws of Athens. Since SocratesRead MorePlato1819 Words   |  8 Pageswinner of the North Award for the best paper in the 2012 Agora. Ben presented an earlier version of this paper at the ACTC Student Conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, in March, 2011.) When reading the Apology and the Crito of Plato, one inevitably comes upon a seeming fundamental contradiction between the two dialogues. The Apology presents readers with a defiant Socrates who declares in his trial that, if acquitted on the condition that he never philosophize again, he wouldRead MorePlato s Symposium, By Plato1273 Words   |  6 PagesIn the book,† Plato’s Symposium,† by Plato, who was a philosopher in Greece, he illustrates the dialectic discussion at a party at Agathon’s to celebrate his triumph of his first tragedy. In the Symposium; the guests Phaedrus, an Athenian aristocrat; Pausanias, the legal expert; Eryximachus, a physician; Aristophanes, eminent comic playwright; Agathon ,a tragic poet and host of the banquet; Socrates, eminent philosopher and Plato s teacher; and Alcibiades, a prominent Athenian statesman, oratorRead MorePlato Vs. Rhetoric : Plato And Rhetoric2524 Words   |  11 PagesPlato and Rhetoric Plato is one of the greatest philosophers in history. Often his words and sayings resonate to this day. But, considering all what Plato has done, what is most peculiar about him is his condemnation of poets and sophists. Plato is in a constant fight to see that the way of true philosophy replaces these false arts. But even much more interesting is that Plato goes even further, and condemns the use of rhetoric, the art of persuasion, as a whole. He not only does this adamantlyRead MoreEssay on Plato1158 Words   |  5 PagesPlato: The Life of Plato Plato was born around 427 BC, in Athens Greece to rich and politically involved family. Platos parents spared no expense in educating him; he was taught at the finest schools. He was taught by Socrates and defended Socrates when he was on trial. Plato traveled to Italy and may have even visited Egypt before founding The Academy. Plato also visited Sicily and instructed a young king there before returning to The Academy to teach for twenty years before his death in 347Read MorePlato Vs Aristotle Vs Plato1814 Words   |  8 PagesPlato and Aristotle had a considerable amount of differences in ideology given that Aristotle was Plato’s student for roughly two decades. Plato, a student of Socrates, opposed the idea of average citizens to participate in politics because he believed that political practice was skill or â€Å"technÄ“ that can only be achieved by a few people. He believed that â€Å"kings must be those among them who have proved best both in philosophy and where war is concerned.† (Republic, 491) and that these â€Å"philosopher