Meaning of the allegory
The above-titled term is a theory of human perception advanced by Plato claiming that sensory knowledge is more of opinion than fact. Furthermore, it positions philosophical reasoning as the only true basis of knowledge (Plato, 2017). To further develop his argument, Plato uses images of people in prison-like circumstances to clarify his meaning.
The significance of images
The first detail is that there are prisoners tied to some rocks with their limbs bound and their heads tied such that the stonewall before them is all they see. Further to that, the prisoners have not experienced any other form of existence save for the one inside the cave (Plato, 2017). However, there is a fire behind these prisoners and between them and the fire is a raised walkway. There are people outside the cave who use the walkway to transport, among other things, plants, wood, animals, and stone. Not only are the prisoners bound, but they are limited both in terms of motion and perspective for they can only observe images produced on the wall before them (Plato, 2017). So, when people using the walkway go past the fire, it creates shadows of the objects that they are carrying, and it is these shadows that are then cast on to the wall the for the prisoners to see.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The significance of the prisoners
From a Platonian viewpoint, the cave is a representation of those people who believe that sensory knowledge is accurate and complete. Not only does this view highlight the limitation of such knowledge, but it also symbolizes the prisoners as victims of the same limitations (Plato, 2017). They have used empirical knowledge throughout their existence, therefore, they are trapped by the limitations of their model of knowledge. Similarly, the shadows symbolize the perceptions of those who believe in sensory knowledge. Furthermore, the prisoners participate in a guessing game based on the shadows cast on the wall where correct guesses reflect a prisoner’s proficiency of sensory knowledge and draw the admiration of the other prisoners (Plato, 2017). Plato asserts that belief in such knowledge is but a shadow of the truth, in so doing, advancing his argument for philosophical reasoning.
The significance of the escape
Then, one of the prisoner’s escapes from his bindings and leaves the cave for the outside world. Not only is he shocked by the discoveries he makes in the outside world, but, initially, he fails to believe the discoveries as real. However, gradually as he gets accustomed to his new setting, he comes to the realization that his original perception of knowledge is wrong (Plato, 2017). Subsequently, he undertakes an intellectual journey that culminates in several discoveries and realizations. Among other things, he comes to understand the sun as the source of all life and realizes the futility of his previous existence and the guessing game. Armed with his new discoveries and realizations, the prisoner returns to the cave to share his findings with the others. Nevertheless, all of them fail to believe him and threaten to kill their enlightened colleague to discourage him from trying to set them free (Plato, 2017). Seemingly, the escaped prisoner is modelled after the philosopher in his quest for knowledge that goes beyond the senses. Still, the sun is a symbol of philosophical truth and knowledge while the prisoner’s intellectual journey is a representation of the philosophical quest for truth and wisdom. The developments after the return of the prisoner show the fear attached to knowing philosophical truths and a mistrust of logicians (Plato, 2017).
Application to contemporary society
According to Plato, all the prisoners displayed a capacity to learn and that they were able to achieve the same in their constrained state. However, once one prisoner escaped and came back with a different perspective, fear and mistrust were used to discourage the transmission of the different perspective. Similarly, within society, the phenomenon of group thought limits both perception and experience among its members (Duarte, 2012). To this extent, when perceptions and experiences go beyond the limits set by society’s group-based beliefs, they are rejected by society because of mistrust and fear. Therefore, Plato attaches the likelihood of societal rejection to the quest for philosophical truths and knowledge.
Conclusion
The Platonian viewpoint holds that philosophical knowledge and truth is superior to knowledge gained through the physical senses. The allegory highlights the same through the transformative journey of the escaped prisoner. Further to that, it also reveals the mistrust and fear that society attaches to the products of philosophical reasoning and its producers because of the phenomenon of group thought. In addition, it suggests that the pursuit of such truth and knowledge is a difficult process that requires force to be practiced.
Reference
Duarte, E. M. (2012). Being and learning: A poetic phenomenology of education . Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Plato. (2017). Allegory of the Cave . S.l.: Lulu.com.
