Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1) Plato's Allegory of the Cave represents humans inability to see past their own truths. It is in our nature to fear the unknown, and therefore we can never learn anything new. This is one of the biggest flaws of human nature.

2) The key elements of imagery where Plato's ability to describe the people living in the cave, and their conditions. It is the chains and shadows that make this story. If the people in the cave weren't forced to look only at the shadows they would have knowledge of the world around them. I think this is why Plato wrote them this way.

3) Plato suggests that the process of enlightenment is a difficult and arduous one. One way that Plato does this is by describing the pain that each person from the cave would feel when first looking into the sun. This is the symbol for the pain that is necessary to gain knowledge. 

4) The shackles and the cave being in the story represent what a terrible life one might lead without knowledge. They also represent being trapped in one's own perceptions of what life is truly about. These things don't seem so bad to people inside the cave, because that is the only life they have ever known.

5) In my personal opinion I think that some ideas about religion and ignorance have shackled the mind. I don't mean to say that religion is bad, but I do think that some people who are religious have a very strict idea of what society has to be like. Ignorance shackles the mind, because people who do not learn about the world around them can never truly be a part of it.

6) A free prisoner can understand why his previous views of the world around them are incorrect. Whereas the prisoner who is still in the cave is blissfully ignorant. He or she will never have to cope with his or her new understanding of the world. A free prisoner can grow and learn, but a trapped prisoner cannot.

7) One may find themselves confused because they don't understand new information, or they were not given the opportunity to gain knowledge.

8) Prisoners can only free themselves by leaving and comin back to the cave. Only when they have gained true knowledge of the world around them can they be free. This suggests that it takes time and experience to learn about the world.

9) I agree that there is a difference between appearances and reality. I think the saying " you can't judge a book by it's cover definitely applies. If the whole world judged each other by their appearances what a superficial world this would be.

10) If Socrates was incorrect about his theory no one would be able to hide who they truly are. We would all be completely honest people. This could also be an ideal world.