"Plato's Allegory of the Cave"

"Plato's Allegory of the Cave"

(notes on the text are on paper)

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?-The "Allegory of the Cave" represented, at least to Socrates, how what we perceive to be truth, isn't always the real truth. Just as Obi-Won-Kenobi (there goes my social life) told Luke Skywalker that, "Your eyes can deceive you don't trust them.", Socrates is telling Glaucon the same thing. Just as the released Prisoner in the cave is completely shocked and in denial when he learns his reality and perception thereof was incorrect, we can't just go on things by blind faith. We need to question, investigate, and change how we think so we can better understand the world around us and take off the blinders.
2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
-Key elements of imagery, are vast within this allegory. Besides being an extended metaphor (see question 1) the allegory can also be described as one big extended image. In order to really lay on the gravity and the sincerity of his work and idea, Plato goes to a new extreme and vividly describes the cave, the prisoners, and what goes on within.
 3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?-The allegory simply suggests that enlightenment and by extension education, is a never ending process to remove us from our archaic and shielded view from the cave, into a "whole new world" in which the strive for knowledge is abundant.
4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?-The imagery of shackles and the cave itself suggest that the perspective of the cave prisoners is one that is warped and twisted. The prisoners are taught from birth to believe that these shadows are real things and that nothing exists outside of their focal point of the cave. Outside of the cave and chains, the "free" world represents an abundant amount of knowledge and enlightenment unobtainable to the prisoners because of their current situation. And after a prisoner is released, the chains and cave still keep them from the truth, because they can't see past their own beliefs and knowledge of what is true and what is not.
5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?-Religion, education, school (private v. public v. charter v. homeschool v. university), family, culture, and a variety of other things shackle the mind and keep it within its own constraints and from a greater abundance of knowledge and truth.
6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?-The freed prisoner is taken as a fool by the other cave prisoners who have never left the cave and their own viewpoints.
7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?-Can we talk about this in class, I'm a bit confused!
8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?-I'm going to go outside the prompt on this one and perhaps suggest how I think we can all get free from intellectual cave prisons. First, people who are already out need to help those that aren't. People do best with a guide, so gently taking someone under your wing and showing them how to experience intellectual freedom. Second, just like getting over an addiction you have to admit there is a problem and be active in the attempt to fix it. Denying that there is a problem won't get you anywhere close to true intellectual freedom, rather it will only drive you away. When you already know something is missing or incomplete you are already halfway there on the path to freedom and success. Third, let your mind wander. Don't focus too intensely on just a few single things, you will only dig your self another hole to get trapped into. Dabble into this and that to discover new things, and perhaps find something you are truly passionate about. It doesn't have to be an incredibly intellectual journey, it just has to be a journey.
9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?-I actually agree that there are distinctions between what we see and perceive and what is actually the case. A plethora of scientists have done studies on this, and discovered that sometimes our eyes aren't getting the whole picture. Between our retinas, cones, rods, and so on getting the image and our brain processing it, there is a disconnect where things have a tendency to get lost. Isn't in always large or obvious details that we miss things, it is primarily in those little subtle details that we pass over where details and reality seem to disappear.  Our eyes deceive us, What is knowledge
 10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
-Again I'm going to need help on this one.