The Allegory Of The

Cave Essay, Research Paper

The Allegory of the Cave

Plato gives rise to an interesting thought in The Allegory of the Cave . He suggest that people are to trusting in an unreliable society. Though he wrote this many years ago, it still applies today. It is ironic that people are willing to believe what the are told to be true, rather than search for the actual truth.

Through the use of symbols, Plato gives an in depth account of truth and society and how they coincide. He describes a cave where prisoners sit chained, unable to see anything, except shadows on a wall. There is a passage way that leads to light, however, they can not see the light. The people in the cave symbolize those in society who live a passive life. They are unwilling to search for truth in life and are content accepting what others tell them. There is a fire behind a wall in the cave that projects shadows, which they are able to see. Unknowing if these shadows are people, they accept that they are because they are told so. Many today choose to ignore the truth as the slaves did because the truth can cause pain. The fire is an artificial light therefore we know it is not the truth. Many are like the fire, they give others false illusions of the truth. The wall represents a barrier that prevents some from seeing the truth. In today s society many people are like the wall, they mislead others and prohibit them from seeing the truth. The chains that bind the slaves symbolize their reluctance to ask questions and remain in their ignorant ways. Many like this exist today. Many time people become set in their ways and the truth that surrounds them makes life to complicated to accept it. The light at the end of the passage is the truth that people, as the prisoners are unwilling to search for. This is what Plato wanted those he was speaking to understand. Truth does exist, we have to want to know the truth in order to seek it.