Reality In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

Words: 713
Pages: 3
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Saraon, Sirat
09/05/16

In Plato’s, “Allegory of the Cave”, the audience is implicitly forced to reevaluate the accuracy of their perception of reality. The author conveys the idea that everything we know is biased, based upon our past experiences, what is physically available to be seen by our eyes, and what we have been exposed to. True reality is to each as their own. He also presents an idea of enlightenment. Everyone has the capability of being enlightened if they choose, or are forced, to leave the world of darkness, where only limited knowledge is presented and the perception of reality is misconstrued. Plato presents the idea that humans are like prisoners who sit on one side of the wall inside the cave. The only thing they …show more content…
They associate the sounds they hear with the shadows, not the objects that the shadows represent. Socrates, the speaker in the book, then talks about a “prisoner” leaving the cave and discovering the “light”. If a prisoner were to see the “light” they would be blinded by it. It is uncomfortable for this person to face the light since they have always been in the “dark”, it’s much easier for them to ignore the “light” than go through the torture of trying to see in it. Socrates also explain how if this person withholds against their need to turn to the cave, with time they will adapt to the “light”. The darkness of the cave symbolizes the limited spectrum of knowledge and exposure one has while the light outside the cave is the path to enlightenment and much harder to go through. Another idea discussed between Socrates and his student is that if an enlightened person comes back into the darkness of the cave …show more content…
There is no way of truly knowing everything because we can’t possibly know what we haven’t been exposed to. We don’t even know what could exist that we aren’t aware of. Everyone’s reality is different. Reality isn’t a concrete and universal definition, it varies on everyone’s biased perceptions. This article reminded me of how I always think I know everything until I discover something new. That’s when I learn that what I previously thought was true in actually not true and what I know now is real. But that’s not even real thats just more true until I learn something new. The idea of being bothered by the light is similar to when I wake up in the middle of the night and turn the light on. My eyes hurt and I have to instantly turn the light off but If I don’t, I could get accustomed to it after a little
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