The Allegory of the Cave
Read Plato's Allegory of the cave then respond to the following questions:
How does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
How does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring
knowledge?
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ReplyDeleteAllegory of the Cave
ReplyDeleteThe allegory of the cave is a theory that was founded by Plato about human perception. He believed that knowledge that is gained through our senses is an opinion rather we must have real understanding and knowledge that must be gained through philosophic thinking. (Trumpeter, 2012, para.1). The allegory of the cave illustrates Plato’s view of the physical world which we called the “material world” as half –seen images meaning that what we see is not a true reflection or perception of how that object might actually looks in real form. Hence, this means that the world we see is just an insight and the only way we can see things for what they really are is if we start to understand the form of that object which can lead to true knowledge.
The people who were claimed to be chained in the cave were prisoners who were chained from childhood with their face facing a wall without being able to turn their heads. However, there is a fire and a walk way and the people walk past the fire on the walk- way with objects forming images which was cast as shadows and echoes on the wall in which the prisoners could have seen and heard. From there, the prisoners gave these objects named based on what they could have seen or heard at that time. However, one of them got free and went outside the cave and realized that everything he was seeing was just a shadow and not the true reality of things. Being in the cave for so long he was already used to darkness and so the sun rays affected his eyes and so now the prisoner has to face true reality now.
It is the same way Plato described the acquiring of knowledge. According to Grumitt (2011), he states that “The light from the Sun effectively represents our prejudices and predispositions with regard to the nature of reality that must be overcome in order to gain knowledge of the forms the objects beyond the cave” ( para.2). Now, the prisoner that has escaped has gained knowledge and needs to go back to the other prisoners and shared what he knows. However, those prisoners have no experience as he does and so may think he is silly and rejects him. Plato then described this as the ignorant philosophers who lack understanding and the prisoner that was free may not wish to go back to the cave because he have acquired knowledge of the real form and might not want to associate with the other prisoners again. Hence, the reason for us to acquire knowledge we need to escape from the world sense experiences and discover the true nature of reality.
References:
Allegory of the Cave Archives - Philosophyzer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.philosophyzer.com/tag/allegory-of-the-cave/
Plato, The Republic (R. Grumitt): What does Plato's allegory of the cave illustrate? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://platoandrelatedthingsetc.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-does-platos-allegory-of-cave.html
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - Alex Gendler [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA
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DeleteIn the Allegory of the Cave Plato allows us to think deeper about the world as we are seeing it. Shakira has captured here in this essay of what this world is to Plato, a material world and what is seen is not true reflection. But to really understand the world we most start to understand forms of the object which can lead to true knowledge. Also she noted that when one of the prisoner was freed from the darkness, he must start facing reality. The prisoner gain knowledge when he came out of the cave and got a new experiences. Shakira stated that “to acquire knowledge we need to escape from the world sense experiences and discover the true nature of reality”. Plato Allegory of the Cave highlighted this for us when the prisoner when back to cave to enlighten the others of this new knowledge but he was rejected.
DeleteI agree with what you said that as human beings we should use our critical thinking about the world around us. In order for us to better understand our world. A material world and what we see is not real. This can be seen where the prisoners had a perception of image, when one of the prisoners escaped he gained a different perception of the world.
DeleteI do agree with miss Blair, that if we as humans do not impart knowledge about the world how will we know any better. we can only go by what is seen, the only way we will be able to draw from the one sided thinking is by educating ourselves and search for answers. Only then we will know better.
Delete1. How does the allegory of the cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteIn the Allegory of the cave Plato’s describe the physical world as ‘dark ’ in which human can only perceive objects through senses. He referred to these objects as phenomena, or a weak form of reality. Thus, the physical world is not a realm where human can obtain knowledge of true reality. He believes that true reality of an object is not found through the senses. According to Plato, the “real” world is made of two parts: the world of the apparent and the world of reality. The world of the apparent focuses on things that we perceive through our senses; on the other hand, the world of reality focuses on things that we perceive through our minds. The world of reality centers mainly on ideas. These ideas precede and are more important than physical sensations (Knight, 1998).
2. Who are the ‘people in the cave’?
The people chained in the cave are those who, knowing no better and having no opportunity to know better, accept occurrences as reality (Trumpeter, 2012). What they perceive through their senses they interpret as being real.
3. How does the Allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
Plato describes the process of acquiring knowledge as the evolution from darkness to the light. In this journey, humans are able to see the essence of truth, or in other words, they are able to gain an understanding of what is actually real. This process, though painful and distressing, will at the end offer freedom and enlightenment to those who acquire knowledge. Therefore, Plato sees human learning as a process. We are like blank canvases in an artist’s studio; we acquire knowledge through our experiences.
References:
Knight, G. (1998). Philosophy and education: An introduction in Christian Perspective. Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press.
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING . Retrieved September 30, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
I do agree that we acquire knowledge through experience and at learning or moving from the known to the unknown can be distressing. We must always remain focus that living in the dark is not always good as it give us limitation. Seeing a shadow on a wall may that be that of reality it can be misunderstood. We as human beings are our own biggest critic, we must break free and unlock those invisible chain and take control of our own destiny.
DeleteIndeed the process of getting to know the truth is a painful task. Some of us are set in our own ways of thinking and behaving and when we experience something new it can be painful. It is painful simply because we maybe following something that appears to be the truth and along it was a misconception. However, the truth will set us free. When we learn something and understand it we are free from misconceptions, therefore we will understand and view the world better and more realistically; just like the men in the cave. Sadly only one of them were able to experience the world and gain the true knowledge of what is real. As for the other three men they will belief in only what is placed in front of them since they will not get the opportunity to gain their own experience of the world through freedom.
DeleteDawn highlighted how Plato saw the physical world as dark in which human can only perceive objects through senses. The physical world cannot allow human to gain true knowledge. The people chained in the cave believed what they saw was as real as it gets. Dawn capture what Plato expressed how knowledge is acquired, moving from darkness to light. The process to getting this knowledge was sometime painful but when your enlighten you are free.
DeleteThe movement from darkness to light accurately describes what the process is like Ms Banner. If we are ever to assist students however, (the ones under our care), we must help them in moving from darkness to light. Allowing them to mere see the shapes on the wall is not nearly enough. Basking in the sun will allow them to fully understand the dynamics of what 'truth' really is.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave is a theory constructed by Plato about the way human perceives the physical world (Trumpeter, 2012, para 1). Plato distinguishes between people who mistake sensory knowledge for the truth and people who really do see the truth. If you had never seen the real objects ever before, you would believe that the shadows of objects were ‘real’ but there were just an illusion. In Plato’s theory, the cave represents people who believe that knowledge comes from what we see and hear in the world called empirical evidence. The cave shows that believers of empirical knowledge are trapped in a ‘cave’ of misunderstanding. If you believe that what you see should be taken as truth, then you are merely seeing a shadow of the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe chained people in the cave were prisoners who have been held captive since they were children. They were chained thus causing them the inability to turn their necks backwards to see the real objects. In the end they only saw shadows, a mere representation of what is really true. They concluded that these images were real. However one got freed and was able to explore the world above and was enlightened on what was real. The chained people can also be referred to as ignorant people, those who are unable to differentiate what is real from what is not. They refuse to gain knowledge through exploration and stick to their opinion. Unless we gain the opportunity to improve the perception of the world we are only limiting ourselves to things that just might not be the true form.
Plato described the process of acquiring knowledge is from one moving from ignorance (darkness) to light (wisdom). Therefore we can acquire knowledge by going to school even though it is not limited to that setting. Learning also takes place when we are able to explore our environment and gain a better understanding of why something exists. That was the same the freed prisoner explored his new environment and found out the importance of the sun.
References:
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING . Retrieved September 30, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
McBride, K. (n.d). A Breakdown of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”. Retrieved October 4, 2015 from: http://kellimcbride.com/pdf/1213_plato_lecture.pdf
Ms. June, I too believe that those people in the cave were ignorant of that which existed outside the cave. They were unable to make a distinction between that which was real and that which wasn't. Their lack of exposure in this case can account for their ignorance, however, we as a people must always strive to learn more by venturing from the known to the unknown. The only prisoner who came out the cave was able to see and learn something new. He learnt that what they have been seeing were just images. Knowledge is gained through experiences. As teachers we need to provide our students with real life experiences for them to understand themselves and the world around them.
DeleteI agree with you on the points that you mention above because, there are people who are not seeing the world from their own perspective but from the perspective of other. Majority of people are lead to believe things without having or getting the freedom to experience it on their own. This bring us back to the lyric in the song from Robert ‘Bob’ Marley, there is a need for man to “Emancipate himself from mental slavery.” Although we are not chain up by the physical chains some of us are still chained by to negative experiences, chained to what words that bring down our self-esteem. We must think critically and reason which will allow us human beings to go beyond the simple existence.
DeleteI agree we need to gain knowledge about the world to enhance use, in order for us to realize what is the truth and what is not. I believe that the people were ignorant to the fact about the truth. They had their own perception of things and didn't want to change.
DeleteI agree with what was said here. We as teachers should provide our students with real life experiences like the slave master did with the one slave. He had a better understanding of the world because he came out of the cave and saw the reality and not just the shadows. In life we must try to seek the known from the unknown as said earlier. That will open our students minds so that they can see a difference sense of reality.
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ReplyDeleteIt is so true that in life as human being is we are only knowledgeable we are to some extent ignorant as we are only partially equip to face the true reality of the word. take for example a person who is born and raised in racism, that person will always see if class as the dominant one and will only see black and white. but can we hold these individuals solely accountable when they committed outrageous crimes on others. It is simple to draw a conclusion that they were not taught to love everyone regardless of the color of their skin or their belief.
DeleteIn many cases we are prisoners and are not even aware of it because we ourselves are afraid to try or explored different things, to an extent doesn't this make us ignorant as well.
I agree with you June learning can take place at anytime and at any place, that is how we acquire knowledge and learn fro our experiences. however, like you said when we explore our environment I believed that is one of the best way a person can learn, when we explore we gain better understanding of the world around us.
Delete1. How does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteIn the allegory of the cave, Plato explains the world to be a place with no sight since everything is seen through the senses of what they hear and the see. Thus the things seen are only perceived to be what you see until the reality is visualized. So the physical world is not a place where you can get knowledge of true reality.
2. Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The people in the cave are those who interpret reality to be the obstacles seen in the shadows and what is echoed in the cave due to the fact they don’t have the freedom to view the real reality of what they believe to be reality in their minds.
3. How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
They describe knowledge to be the movement from darkness to light being able to see the real truth of what is reality. From the darkness in the cave with the perception of what Is seen by the shadows can then move to a state whereby they acquire knowledge by learning the truth through freedom and seeing the objects and the world for what they really are rather than just perceptions of what they might be.
References
Rowe, Christopher (2006). "Interpreting Plato". In Benson, Hugh H. A Companion to Plato. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 13–24.
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING . Retrieved September 30, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
I do agree that once we humans are kept lock away and can only see and hear certain things, we would find ourselves believing in that specific thing. This is the same way that those prisoners saw the shadow to be real / truth. However, all that is liable to change if one brake free and is able to experience the world for their own self. As humans it is important that see the world through our own experience rather than getting and making misconception.
DeleteThe part where you described acquiring knowledge as a process in which you move from darkness to light is so true. Some of us choose to say in the dark rather than taking the opportunity to view things from another side. For someone to want to acquire the truth they have to be determined and focused because it us not an easy transition.
DeleteMs Smith I do agree that those are the individuals in the cave. I also believe that the individuals in the cave are comfortable their in that they believe that they are safe being guided by the truth that they know.
DeleteYes some of us are locked away and when released we intentionally retreat back to the darkness or behind the walls, but why? Well because for some of us we were not aware of the sunlight but once awareness steps in we are unable to bear the heat of the sun. This can also be taken in the form of our lives. We are blind to certain things whether it be relationships, politics etc. and when we are made aware of the truth or the light we still refuses to end or change things. So remaining in darkness are choices only the individual can make.
DeleteFay Dyer
ReplyDeletePhilosophy of Education
In watching the video “the Allegory of the Cave my first tough were that of how we as human beings are sometimes fed limited information, which leads to ignorance. At times we may not be physical constraint as those in the story, however are truly not seeing the reality or the truth of the real world. In respect to those that are carrying the signs of form in front of the fire so as to project image, they are like or politician, religious leaders and even the media, this is a reflection of powers, they provide information to us on what they want and not what may be best. In the store not much have been said about the person who freed the prisoner, however this action leads me to think of what a teacher will know, he or she this person is aware of the reality beyond the cave and is opening that prisoners eyes to the truth, however it is painful as the prisoners eyes has to adjust and like education especially advancing your knowledge at times it is not easy, because of sacrifices that an individual has to make. It also explains on how the prisoners has to make adjustment she first sees shadows, then refection and everything else before seeing the sun, this is due to the fact that he/she was accustom in seeing things this way. In conclusion because of lack of knowledge the prisoners that remain in the cave saw him as a treat and even made fun, but this was the result of their ignorance, they were clueless to what was truly happening and was focus on what have being embedded in their minds for years.
1. How does the Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s vie of the Physical word?
Plato’s view of the physical world as what is truth and the reality. He describe the sun as the truth and first principle. He also describe it as the intellectual world, world of ideas it was more real.
2. Who are the “people chain in the cave?
The people chain in the cave are prisoners they could also be us human beings.
3. How does the Allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
It describes the process of acquiring knowledge as a stage and a discipline in which one has to adjust, because the prisoners in the cave were chain so long moving them they will need to adjust which means not just their eyes but their entire body and soul. You entire perception has to change in my opinion what comes to mind is the phrase paradigm shift.
Reference
1GangRelated2. (2009). Plato-The Allegory of the cave [The Matrix Animated].
Retrieved from https:www//.youtube.com/results?searchesquery+allegory+of+the+cave
USUsoar. (2014). Allegory of the cave. Retrieved
from https:www//.youtube.com/results?searchesquery+allegory+of+the+cave
Hi Fay, I agree with your view on acquiring knowledge fully. I am of the belief that as humans, we learn in stages--- from darkness to light. However, as the persons chained in the caves, once we've be conditioned in our ways, change is hard to come by. As a result, I believe we take baby steps in acquiring knowledge and truths. While we may hold the key that controls our destiny, the process in which we obtain and acquire knowledge is slow and tedious.
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DeleteMs. Fay, I concur that the process of acquiring new knowledge can be painful but the reward is sweet. The analogy of the prisoner experiencing difficulty adjusting to the light is comparable to the acquisition of new knowledge. We encounter challenges but we must be persistent and don't give up. The prisoner was determine to find out what was beyond the cave. What he found was very enlightening because he now had a first hand experience with reality. He realized that what he and the other prisoners saw were nothing more than an illusion. Many times we find ourselves in similar positions where because of a lack of exposure we interpret something one-way but when we get that exposure we are faced with the reality. That is a great feeling -an AHA! moment. When we are engaged in our own learning the learning is authentic and will remain with us a lifetime. Its like riding a bike. You fall down, you get back up a couple times and before you know it you will be doing all kind of stunts on the bike.
DeleteBy: Kendra Allen
DeleteSo agree Faye. Acquiring knowledge is a process. We need to step out of our perceptions of things and gain experience in order to understand.
Well said Fay, I like that you compare the allegory to gaining an education. When the prisoner came out his eyes burned as he tried to adjust. It wasn’t easy for him to gain the knowledge of reality of the outside world. When he adjusted he had true knowledge of what actually is. Just as gaining knowledge about a topic one has to spend long sleepless nights to acquire that knowledge. But after obtaining the knowledge they are said to be empowered and freed. I enjoyed reading your blog.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave
ReplyDeleteThis is a theory that was founded by Plato about human perception (Trumpeter, 2012, para.1). Plato believed that knowledge is gained through our senses as an opinion rather; we must have real understanding and knowledge that must be gained through philosophic thinking. Plato is stating that they are two kinds of people in the world. The first is the one who makes sensory mistakes about the world and therefore takes that as the truth. The second is the one who really see the truth all from experience and observations, through being exposed. As a person, if you are not exposed to certain objects or things you will be gullible and believe thing that is presented in front of you; all this is called illusion. For example: if you have seen only a shadow and not the object that gives the shadow, you will believe the shadow to be ‘real’. You are not wrong completely for thinking that way if all you have only been exposed to the shadow. Empirical evidence is a part of Plato theory and the people in the cave is representing such theory; they only believe what they see in front of them and hear. People who have empirical knowledge are living in a world of misconceptions and beliefs.
Nevertheless, the people in the cave are people who have been held captive from a very young age. They were chained / shackled in a position where they were not even able to move their heads for a slight turn. This position allowed them to see only what was exactly in front of them; and what they saw in front of them and hear they would call ‘real’. These prisoners in the cave is only seeing the ‘shadow’ of the bare truth / or what is real.
The allegory describes the process of acquiring knowledge as stepping from out of the shadow into the light. In other words this is stepping from false belief and interpretation of the world to the real truth of reality. Being in the darkness of the shadow limits ones perceptions and ability to think about the truth simply because they are not exposed to the nature of the world; rather they are limited and/or confined to only what is put in front of them. All this changes when a person has been exposed to the world where they can make comparisons and evaluate objects through their own personal experiences.
References:
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING . Retrieved September 30, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
Hi Jada, I think we are all on the same wavelengths when it comes to answering these questions. Furthermore, I agree with your assessment and analysis of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave.' I believe as humans we are conditioned into certain beliefs. You touched that perfectly when you stated that what we perceive to be true is some times skewed, just like the persons in the cave. However, the process of acquiring 'truth' is only achieved through our experiences.
Deletehi Jada I do agree with you with you say that exploring reality is stepping from out of the darkness into the light. I do believe that many times we are in the darkness because we refuse to search to find the truth. The only way we will be able to find the truth is looking at things in a different light and being to think critically. I think as teachers we are faced with many different situations which forced us to seek for the truth. At times even in our own personal lives the truth Is hard to be detect. All in all after viewing the clip I conclude that as humans we must not settle we must seek.
DeleteYou are so right when you said we are living in a world of misconceptions. Everybody is guilty of that at some point in their lives. We have been doing it so much that they believe its a norm within our society.
DeleteYes we live in a world of shadows, the shadows of ourselves where we don't see the reality of ideas or life. However it is possible to climb out of the cave, to be released from our shackles, but the process is painful. When the cave slaves (ourselves) climb from the cave (perceive and understand ideas), we see the world for how it should be. We see that ideas are eternal and perfect, even though the physical world is crumbling.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Allegory of the Cave illustrates Plato’s view of the physical world as one which is made up of our shadows, views, perceptions and echoes. We view things as we see it and not as they truly are. It views us as all prisoners, even though we are not trapped in a cave. This is so because we are trapped by ethics, values and perceptions placed by Society. Physically, we would not see ourselves as prisoners but mentally we are. As individuals we understand our physical world by experiences of tangible objects but our downfall is limiting ourselves to not wanting a change and finding the real truth. We are free to make changes and go beyond what we perceive but due to Society some of us remain trapped while others search for another perspective. We need to search for a source of truth, expand our knowledge and be open minded rather than narrow minded and accept what Society wants from us. At times, this leads to confusion and uncertainty because we have been used to one way of thinking for too long. When someone does find another way we shut them down and don’t give them the chance to share the experience.
ReplyDeleteThe people chained in the caves are humans just like us but referred to as prisoners. They are referred to as prisoners because they are satisfied with the shadows and echoes as being the truth. They are not willing to explore and see the brighter sides of things.
The process of acquiring knowledge entails turning away from the world even though it will be painful and difficult. We cannot identify the truth based on perceptions and observations but through reasoning and thought. Gaining knowledge is like going from the darkness of the cave to the brightness of the sun. We gain knowledge through our experiences as with the prisoner that was freed. He was able to experience something different and was able to learn from it and gain a better understanding.
References
Srivastava.S. (2013) February 15. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/platos-allegory-of-the-cave-meaning-and-interpretation.html
Cohen. S. (2006) July 24th. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm
Kowinlowski. J. (2000) May 2. Retrieved from http://everything2.com/title/Allegory+of+the+Cave
Well said Ms. Camille. I agree that we limit ourselves by refusing to step into the light. We often refuse to leave our comfort zones to venture into the unknown. Imagine what the world would be if everyone was complacent and not willing to step into the light. Many inventions and discoveries were made by the brave souls who ventured into the light. Today education has shifted from that of chalk and talk to interactive class sessions that engage children in activities which promote critical thinking and skill development. We are aware that as humans we learn best through active involvement. When the prisoner left the cave he was expose to a reality that was unknown to those who remained in the cave. Education is an ongoing process that will take place if we are actively involved in experiences that create a change in our behavior
DeleteI fully agree that we cannot identify the truth based on perceptions and observations but through reasoning and thought. As plato mentioned that gaining knowledge is like going from the darkness of the cave to the brightness of the sun makes you realize the truth. You can mainly learn things through experiences and observation.
DeleteBy Kendra Allen
DeleteAlso, some of us are still stuck in the cave and refuse to learn the true understanding of the world and when we are offered help to understand we are too scared. Hence, the process of acquiring knowledge would be difficult if a person refuses to leave the dark
I like the point that you shared about us being prisoners even though we are not physically chained. A lot of us can relate to that in these days. That is why it is up to us to find the truth rather than staying prisoners.
DeleteHi Miss Camille I do agree with your statement : acquiring knowledge can be painful. I believe everything in life has a price to pay. The more you push for what you want in life, the more it will cost (pain) . At the end of the day we will reap what we have sown. No pain no game.
DeleteMs. Yarwood, your response to question 2 seems agreeable to me. As humans, we do sometimes imprison ourselves, limiting our view of the truth by settling for mediocre, satisfying with only what is present before our eyes and ears. We fail to unveil what lies beneath the scope of the visible and audible; what are the origins of the shadows and echoes? These are the thoughts and actions that are to move us toward greater knowledge and happiness.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave
ReplyDeleteHow does the allegory of the cave illustrate
Plato’s view of the physical world?
In the allegory of the cave Plato saw the world as begin dark and made up of forms. This was highlighted with the casting of the shadows on the wall from the fire. The material world consists of half-seen images of the true forms of everything (skschools, 2015). A shadow is only an image of a true object, so we cannot trust our senses alone, to navigate the world (Trumpeter, 2012). Only an understanding of forms can lead to true knowledge.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The people in the cave are consider to be prisoners, these people are bond to the cave and do not know any other existence. All the information/knowledge that the prisoners received comes from the cave, what they seem to hear form the image they see and each other. So the image that the prisoners sees are very real to them. They develop a game (system) of guessing which shadows would appear next (skschools, 2015). The game had a reward for the prisoner who got the correct order of naming the images as they appear, and who could predict what would come next (Trumpeter, 2012). This showed that man’s nature is to strive to form a hierarchy of order.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge by using light as a symbol for this. And how this light would affect the eyes after being in the dark for so long. One of the prisoner was set free (liberation) and allowed to go above ground (Sheehan, 2015). This prisoner now see his surrounding in a new ‘light’ and realize what he is seeing is real. He have gain new understanding (knowledge). He is described as looking at the sun directly, which metaphorically means acquiring as much knowledge as he could. With this new knowledge the former prisoner return to enlighten the rest, but there is great resistance to what he is saying. The others prefer to stay in there comfort zone. This now is like most people today that prefer to go with the status quo even if the idea/thinking have been proving not to work.
Reference
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
(n.d.) skschool.net. Retrieved October 3, 2015, fromhttp://www.skschools.net/~malper/FOV2-00104A56/FOV2-0010546E/Plato's%20%22The%20Allegory%20of%20the%20Cave%22
(n.d.) Sheehan, T., ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: Republic. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from http://web.stanford.edu/class/ihum40/cave.pdf
I like what you said in the last part about acquiring knowledge because at times that is how we learn. We gain new understanding of the world almost everyday some of us share our knowledge that we have with our friends and colleagues and while doing that some people may resist us and and may not want to listen to what we have to say. Its like you stated they stay in their comfort zone.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave illustrates the reality of our existence as human beings in the world in which we live. Human beings are what and who they are because of their experiences which is based on their exposure and interactions with the world around them. As humans beings we are limited to what is immediately around us. However, when we break the chains that binds our perception then we begin to understand the processes that created the delusion that are all too often perceived as reality. Plato seems to want us to wonder about what exactly is represented by the fire, for he specifies that this fire is only a shadow compared to the sun outside the cave (532c2-3). That which the sun stands for would be more real than that which the fire stands for. However, Theodor Gomperz (1905: 87) thinks that no one would need to be told that the shadows on the wall of the cave stand for sense impressions ‘whose being is more of a shadow than of a substance’.
ReplyDeleteIn the story, the prisoners were conditioned to believe that what they saw were the reality. It was only after a brave prisoner ventured out then he realized that what they saw was not the reality of what existed. His experiences exposed him to the reality that was privy to him alone. Upon his return to the cave his fellow comrades could not comprehend his new found knowledge. He was unable to impart the information to them because they lack the experiences and exposure he acquired being outside the cave. They were unable to identify with anything he shared. That imagery portrayed in the story applies to the fact that we acquire knowledge when we encounter new experiences. At the onset we might experience a level of difficulty but with determination and self- motivation success will prevail and learning will occur. The analogy made in the story is accented when the prisoner stepped out the cave he was blinded by the light but that soon changed and he was able to see clearly.
As teachers we need to build on children’s previous knowledge to work from the known to the unknown by engaging them in real life experiences that will help them to better understand and appreciate the world around them. According to Socrates and Aristotle, “It is the job of the informed to lead the ignorant out of the cave and into true knowledge despite the difficulties that one might encounter in that process. We must never lose faith and give up”. The aim of this story was to motive people to leave their comfort zones (cave) and venture into the light to learn and experience new things.
Abensour. M., (2007). Against the Sovereignty of Philosophy over Politics: Arendt’s Reading of Plato’s Cave Allegory: Social Research Vol. 74 Issue 4, p955-982. 28p.
Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). The Republic. Retrieved October 6, 2015 from http://www.shmoop.com/the-republic/
Gomperz, T.( 1905). Greek Thinkers, trans. L. Magnus & G. G. Berry. London: J. Murray
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Hi Mrs Wade ,I do agree with you when you say that us teachers need to build on students previous Knowledge. I do believe that at times the children have a basic idea of something that they may think is true but because they are not fully enlightened about the truth they are forced to believe that what they see is the truth which is not always the case.. I also do think that it is very important for teachers to allow students to explore their environment to discover the truth. This will help them to acquire new knowledge and be able to think critically. It will also help them to be able to know how to deal with situations that they are faced with in the real world if taught from a young age. By doing this we must always engage our students in our lessons for them to seek their own truth.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave illustrates Plato’s view of the physical world where we are only allowed to see what is in front of us and we take that as the truth. After we experience the real truth, then we would return to share with others but they would not believe. Plato describes this scary life in the cave. He explained and described the world as if there are unknown things. The Allegory does still apply to our world today. We are held down by so many things. Some of us are still chained to a wall. As it explained these humans were trapped for their entire life so they believed that no other life existed.
ReplyDeleteThe people that were chained in the cave were prisoners, or I must say people like me and you. I believe they are us because today some of us are still chained to just one place and haven’t seen or heard what society has to offer.
The process of acquiring knowledge is that some of us have no idea of the world but with the help of others we build on the truth. To gain the truth, we need to step outside of our comfort zone to actually find the truth. It might be painful and confusing to us but when we acquire the new knowledge it is beneficial for us. It is saying that we need to go beyond and experience the real world to be able to share it with others. We cannot just sit in one place and take what comes our way as the truth.
References
Farahat.S. (June 2, 2010). Deep inside a cave. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0857299/plotsummary
Cohen. S. (2006) July 24th. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm
I agree Ms. Casey. The chained prisoners are people just like you and I. Up to today you can find these type of people within the school, specifically administrators. They are fixated on one way of doing things and are unwilling to take a shot at change. Being stagnant means that there will be no growth for you as an individual and for the school.
DeleteI agree with you Casey the Allegory also attacks people who rely upon or are slaves to their senses. The chains that bind the prisoners are the senses. Plato said the path of the prisoner was our soul's ascent to knowledge or enlightenment. He equated our world of sight with the intellect's world of opinion. Our world of sight allows us to "see" things that are not real, such as parallel lines and perfect circles. He calls this higher understanding the world "abstract reality" or the intelligible world.
DeleteI must agree Ms. Casey; we need to share knowledge as we ourselves gain. Even though not everyone will be accepting to it. Some may be willing to accept while others will stay in their old ways of how things are to be.
DeleteHi Ms. Bermudez, I like when you compare the prisoners to our self. Often times, we are stuck in our selfish ways and refuse to change. Even if we know that what someone is telling us is the truth, we will still refuse to believe. We are afraid of change. Some of us are stuck in stupidity!
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ReplyDeleteThe Allegory of the Cave
ReplyDeleteThe allegory of the cave is a theory put forward by Plato, concerning human perception. Plato claimed that knowledge gained through the senses is no more than an opinion and that in order to have to real knowledge we must gain it through philosophical reasoning. In other words, we need to interact with the physical world in order to see real things for ourselves. Philosophizer n.d. Plato explained two types of people in this clip those who think they know the truth which are the prisoners who were limited to exploring the truth because of their condition, And those who actually know the truth which is acquired through exploring your environment which will be the prisoner who was freed. I could also relate this to the real world I do think that us humans are prisoners. At times we are faced with many situations whereby by we are blindsided to the actual truth. The rare individual escapes the limitations of that cave and, through a long, tortuous intellectual journey, discovers a higher realm, a true reality, with a final, almost mystical awareness of Goodness as the origin of everything that exists. Such a person is then the best equipped to govern in society, having a knowledge of what is ultimately most worthwhile in life and not just a knowledge of techniques; but that person will frequently be misunderstood by those ordinary folks back in the cave who haven't shared in the intellectual insight. An Analysis of "The Allegory of the Cave" by Plato (para2 .n.d).
The people chained in the cave were prisoners. They have been chained in the cave from childhood. The prisoners were forced to only see what was directly in front of them which were reflections of the actual image which they perceived as being true. The prisoners’ knowledge was limited. However, because the prisoner was freed he was able to make connection with the real objects and was able to conclude that the shadowy image was actually false. According to Plato reality is not about human perception but rather searching to find the truth.
The allegory describes the process of acquiring knowledge as moving from the darkness to the lights. I view this as moving from the known to the unknown in the case of the prisoner. He also explained that the sun played a very important part of light since it helped the prisoner to see the reflection of the objects. He was able to understand the sun is what is reflecting the real object. In relation to the education I do believe that as teachers we have the power to fix misconceptions that students may have. By doing this we must have them explore their learning environment to find the actual truth.
Reference
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING . Retrieved September 30, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
An Analysis of "The Allegory of the Cave" by Plato.(n.d).Retrieved October 7th 2015, from http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=135077
I agree with you Sherdia because what the prisoners see and hear are shadows and echoes cast by objects that they do not see. Such prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. They would think the things they see on the wall (the shadows) were real; they would know nothing of the real causes of the shadows.
DeleteYes, us teachers must be able to change these misconceptions that our students come with. Its our job to enlighten them with the truth rather than shadows and echoes of the truth. They are entrusted in our care in hopes that we make a change. When we do this we are creating great thinkers which is essential.
Deletesometimes I believe that we as teachers need to go the extra mile of doings things in the classroom that is not the norm because just like the prisoners , who we only seeing so much, is the same with our students, they can only go by what they are exposed.
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ReplyDelete1. How does the allegory of the cave illustrates Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeletePlato and just as anyone else in the world of reality come to know the world through our senses that are available to us. This part of reality of imagination better yet said as phenomena is gotten when we are discovering new ideas as perception. As Plato expresses it that reality is established first in our minds before they can be conceived as reality while the world around us is seen through the eyeglass of our senses. The truth of the matter is that reality sometimes infact is very painful when it requires you to make changes for advances and the road is narrow to reach to the horizon.
2. Who are the people in the cave?
The people in the cave are all those that are enslaved to knowledge. This means that anyone who wants to know things need to use their senses to view the world around him/her and that will make inferences. These inferences in turn will be put together to make a conclusion just as in any other situation. Children can be seen to the ones in the cave as the only view were shadows and at times that is all we see. Just a copy of reality and not everything. So their reality is limited only to the shadow that were cast on the wall. So being chained is anyone who that is limited with the resources to knowledge.
3. How does the Allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
Knowledge acquirement is a process from a dark to the light stage. The dark stage is that where we are illiterate on the subject and the light stage is the point when you are then knowledgable on the material. As we are growing up from the onset of birth we start the first sense of feeling, emotions and even to the point of sensation as sound. As we born just as the one who was released began to gain more knowledge of the world around he then went even further and expand his horizon and not left constrained to just the cave. In cave the other three were left and so their world of reality was created only around what they could perceived infront.
It is only through exploration we are able to gain meaningful knowledge. In that same light we are able to see things differently and understand the purpose of their existence. Sometimes it is fear that causes us not to explore the world which we live in. However we must put aside that fear and take that leap of faith and explore. In the case of the prisoners who remained in the cave they limit the intake of knowledge because of not wanting to be viewed differently. Life is about taking chances in order to be someone better, someone knowledgeable.
DeleteInteresting explanation. We are on the same page about the process of acquiring knowledge. Plato believes that we are born as blank slate then we start to acquire knowledge through our experience. I like that you compare the freed prisoner to a new born because it is true, they both begin to get to know reality through their experiences. I strongly agree with Ms. June Rowland. Sometimes we fail to explore the truth because of the fear of what the truth might be.
DeleteThis is so true. I do believe that without exploring we will not gain knowledge. Plato did stated that we are born as blank slates and only with experience do we gain knowledge; like the slaves because they didn't go and experience the outside world they didn't know anything but what they had seen on the wall and they were afraid to take that step to 'open their eyes' and see beyond they are used to. I strongly agree with both Ms. June and Alexis on their opinion because without having faith and taking a leap to new knowledge they will remain naïve.
DeleteThat is a very interesting way of looking at knowledge.This perspective has a deep biblical interpretation also. Darkness can be seen as lack of knowledge and light as the desire to seek knowledge, enlightenment.
DeleteIn the Allegory of the cave, Plato’s view of the physical world was compared to the shadows of different objects in the world. People believe that these shadows are the real world, since this is all they have been seeing since childhood. Plato believe that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world. The real world can only be apprehended intellectually. Plato believe that most people prefer to live in a happy, comfortable and familiar life. The problem begins when someone starts to question the authenticity of the shadows, he is often ridiculed and be despised by the others, who tends to be satisfied with the norms of society. Plato believe that the person who is asking question, seeking to kind answers is the liberated man. He is willing to share his opinions and face the truth. Having been liberated, the man will attempts to go back in the cave and share his findings about the truth , in hope that the others would be inspired by his finding of the real truth, so that that they too will seek for the real object rather than just the shadows of the objects. Plato believe that for most people, the reality of the truth is difficult to accept.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are chained up in the cave are prisoners of the truth. Their movement are restricted due to the shackled on the legs and neck, therefore all they have seen from childhood. Is the shadows of different objects on the wall, which they perceive to be as the truth.
Plato describes the process of acquiring knowledge as moving from darkness to light. The darkness represents ignorance and the light represent knowledge. Often times, we become settled and get comfortable with what we perceive to be as the truth, since that’s all we’ve known while growing up. Our conviction of what we believe as the truth remains unwavering. Until we are forced to investigate and dig deeper, then we realized that what we were holding on to for so long is no really the truth. The transition of this process in not easy, but the more you are being forced to face the reality, you eventually and gradually accept the new knowledge as the truth. Having acquire new knowledge now, all you want to do is share it with others and free them from the bondage of ignorance.
Reference
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
(n.d.) Sheehan, T., ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: Republic. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from http://web.stanford.edu/class/ihum40/cave.pdf
I do agree with your statement. Society tends to ridicule the ones who think outside the box or those who want to know more. Some people are stuck in the old ways of how things were being done and it can be tedious and difficult to teach them different ways to do those very same things. But those of us who seek knowledge, seeks to know the truth.
DeleteAt first watching the video and listening to everything I felt confused, as it continued I realize that indeed we are ignorant to the truth or what we think is the truth in life. We are being thought a certain topic and we then believe what we are taught and we accept the teachings without researching, questioning or even wanting to gain further knowledge on the topic. Not everything we see or hear is or can be the truth. According to Pearcy 2003, Is Plato’s that what we understand what reality is the (forms) it is the job of the inform to lead the ignorant ‘out of the cave” into true knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHow does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato distinguishes between people who mistake sensory knowledge for the truth and people who really do see the truth. (Trumpeter, 2012). Some people refuse to learn about to things for themselves therefore accepting whatever is being thrown at them.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The people in chains are us humans at times when in our ignorance we fail to see the truth and only believe what is set before us or given to us rather than explore for what is really true, Even though some of us may be constricted from exploring what the truth really is.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
As we see one of the men were freed from the chains and was able to explore new things and find out for himself that the things he was seeing all along were only shadows none of which was the real thing, for what he thought was the truth wasn’t truly revealed to him until he explored and gain new knowledge of what he was really seeing all along.
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). Retrieve from:
http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
Pearcy, M. (2003). The Allegory of the Cave by Plato: Summary, Analysis & Explanation
Chapter 5 lesson 9. Retrieve from:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-analysis-explanation.html
To add to your comment i must say that we are indeed ignorant to the truth as you mentioned in your statement above. We tent to settle for whatever is thrown to us without even digging deeper to find out the truth about the situation. For examle: teachers teach students to draw a fish oje way. The child goes home and is convinced that the drawing teacher gave of the fish is actually the fish! Now here comes mommy with a real fish. The child is now exposed to the actual features and dimention of the fish. The child is being freed from the cave and can conclude that not everything teacher says or do is the truth of the reality.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave is a theory discovered by Plato on how human being perceives the physical world. (Trumpeter, 2012, para.1) Plato claimed “that knowledge gained through the senses is no more than opinion and that, in order to have real knowledge, we must gain it through philosophical reasoning”. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato compares people who mistake sensory knowledge for the truth and those people who really do see the truth. For example if you had never seen an object before, you would believe of the object you are seeing at the moment is real but it not real. This is simply saying that in order for us to better comprehend the world we must gain awareness in order for use to gain a better understanding that is factual.
ReplyDeleteThe chained people in the cave were prisoners who were there from birth. They were tied to some rocks. Their heads was tied so that they cannot look at anything only the stonewall in front of them. These prisoners could only see reflection of shadows on the wall from the glare of the fire that was between them and the walkway. They perceived these images to be the truth. One of the prisoners manages to escapes and went to explore the outer world. As he became use to his new surroundings, he was shocked at the world he discovers outside the cave. He realizes that his former view of reality was wrong. This is simply saying that because the prisoners were locked up for so long they relied heavily on their senses perception about thing. They didn’t want to change their perception of thinking or gain factual knowledge.
Plato describes the process of acquiring knowledge as the evolution from darkness to the light. In this journey, humans are able to see the essence of truth, or in other words, they are able to gain an understanding of what is actually real. This process, though painful and distressing, will at the end offer freedom and enlightenment to those who have acquire knowledge. The Saylor Foundation (para 4)
References
'The Allegory of The Cave' by Plato: Summary and Meaning - Philosophyzer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
Foundation, S. (n.d.). Guide to Responding Study Guide for Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave. Retrieved from http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/HIST101-Subunit-5.3.5-Reading-Guide-Allegory-of-the-Cave-FINAL.pdf
Your example made a valid point, Mrs Wright. It is believable that for us to better comprehend the world we must gain awareness in order for use to gain a better understanding that is factual. If this is not done then our beliefs will only be based on our opinions which may never be the real truth. I strongly believe this is the reason why he believes that they are two separate world.
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ReplyDeleteBy: Kendra Allen
ReplyDeleteHow does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
Plato believes that there is certain truth, but that this material world cannot reveal it. It can only present appearances, which lead us to form opinions, rather than knowledge. He believes that they are two separate worlds, the visible world and the intelligible world. In the visible world we learn about objects through our senses but the information acquired is not trustworthy and we don’t have real knowledge of the world only mere opinions. Whereby in the intelligible world, we learn about the forms not through senses but by reasons; we figure out what things are by thinking about them. The Allegory of the Cave illustrates that we see things one way that is less perfect than the actual look.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The people chained in the cave are the people who believe that knowledge comes from what they see and hear. As Plato states it “they are slaves to their senses”. They are still in the dark and not open to the truth.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The allegory of the cave illustrated man moving from darkness to light. It demonstrated an understanding for reality. The released prisoner was faced with a blinding light from the sun which represents our predisposition in regards to the nature of reality or forms. The prisoner has finally reached the cognitive stage of thought, moving away from the shadows and reflections to the real objects. Being in the light, the prisoner now gained this knowledge and can now share with the others. In order to understand reality we must go outside the senses.
Reference:
Trumpeter, A. (2012, September 21). ‘THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE’ BY PLATO: SUMMARY AND MEANING . Retrieved October 7, 2015, from Philosophyzer: http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/
ReplyDeleteThe Allegory of the Cave is Plato's explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. He sees it as what happens when someone is educated to the level of philosopher. He contends that they must "go back into the cave" or return to the everyday world of politics, greed and power struggles. He equated our world of sight with the intellect's world of opinion. Both were at the bottom of the ladder of knowledge. Our world of sight allows us to "see" things that are not real, such as parallel lines and perfect circles. He calls this higher understanding the world "abstract Reality" or the Intelligeble world. On the physical side, our world of sight, the stages of growth are first recognition of images (the shadows on the cave wall) then the recognition of objects (the models the guards carry) To understand abstract reality requires the understanding of mathematics and finally the forms or the Ideals of all things (the world outside the cave). But our understanding of the physical world is mirrored in our minds by our ways of thinking. First comes imagination (Socrates thought little of creativity), then our unfounded but real beliefs. Opinion gives way to knowledge through reasoning (learned though mathematics) (123helpme.com, 2015).
In this allegory, people are chained from birth in a cave where they see nothing but shadows created by others. Plato asks us to imagine how those who are chained can learn about and come to accept true reality. This story illustrates Plato’s theory of knowledge, truth and education. People chained in the cave are those who, knowing no better and having no opportunity to know better, accept phenomenon as reality. They were prisoners. What they perceive, they interpret as real (Pages.drexel.edu, 2015).
Moreover, life can be quite eventful or ordinary. Throughout history and in epochal moments man has sought to answer the question of what brings meaning to life and has attempting to understand reality. Some propose that reality and life can only be understood through our experiences and sensual engagement with our environment. Others suggested that what our experiences allow us are perceptions of a deeper, more objective reality. They purport that reasoning or rationalism is the only way of acquiring knowledge and interacting with objective reality. One of the more ardent advocates for the latter world view is Plato. Plato gives an explanation for his thesis by using an allegory of a cave (Williams, 2015).
Reference:
123helpme.com,. (2015). Analysis of The Allegory of the Cave by Plato :: Philosophy Plato. Retrieved 9 October 2015, from http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=13
Pages.drexel.edu,. (2015). Retrieved 9 October 2015, from http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~cp28/plato.htm5077
Williams, D. (2015). .:COGITO ERGO SUM:.: Life And Meaning... Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Dmarcuswilliams.blogspot.com. Retrieved 9 October 2015, from http://dmarcuswilliams.blogspot.com/2009/11/life-and-meaning-making-philosophy-easy.html
I love your explanation ms.Flowers. i do believe that the allegory of the cave is the education of the soul towards enlightenment simply because without existence life would be meaninless. Through the knowlege and experiences of reality we learn about the truth. Often times we rely on someone or something for answers instead of going out and exploring the real world to find the truth. Then and only then will our souls be the platform of the true meaning of life
DeleteThe allegory of the cave
ReplyDeleteThe allegory of the cave illustrates Plato's view of the physical world as the nature of reality. This illustration is basically explaining how we should make the connection between what we think we know and the truth. In Plato's illustration there were some prisoners that have been kept in a cave from childhood. These prisoners were chained sitting down in an upward position with little or no movement. Infront of them was a blank wall and behind them was a walkway. Behind the walkway was a flame of fire. The prisoners had no interaction with the outside world. Based on the little knowledge that they have they tried to connect the images that they saw as real. They believed that the shadows were from real animals and objects. Not being able to interract and investigate about what they see they are forced to beleive that what they see is real. Plato believed that knowledge gained through the senses is no more than opinion and that in order to have real knowledge we must gain it through philosophical reasoning.
The people chained in the cave are us the human population. I beleive that we are the prisoners because we allow society to dictate to us what is concidered to be a portion of the truth but not the whole truth. We are affraid of the truth about any situation whether it be relationship, religion, education, politics, sickness etc. and we dont investigate to find the truth of the matter.
The allegory describes the process of acquiring knowledge to be a conscious step by step process. First we must allow ourselves to be opened to what life has to offer. We must gain as much knowledge of reality in order for us to accept the truth. Plato believed that we were born as blank slates and as we explore with nature and reality we gain knowledge of the real world and its excistence. If we have no interaction with reality then we are only exposed to the shadows of the truth.
References:
Allegory of the cave Archives-Philosophyzer.(n.d.) Retreived from http'://www.philosophyzer.com/tag/allegory of the cave/
www.allegorytheory.com
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ReplyDelete1) How does the Allegory Of The Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteWhen one gets the title ‘Philosopher’ it is understood that the person is a great thinker. Plato’s view of everything was different than that of the contemporary man. In a time when the average thinker followed everything that was thrown at him/her, Plato stood out. He viewed the world as a place where knowledge enlightens. He wrote this analogy of the world to share the idea that the limited knowledge that the contemporary person had was just that, limited! He also illustrated that if one was strong willed or fortunate to be shown the light (made to know), sharing this with others was plain dangerous. The puppeteers, the ones in charged, try their endeavor best to control the amount of light (knowledge) that they want the world to be exposed to. The idea of enlightenment would mean not having control over others meaning that everyone would think autonomously. He also showed through this illustration that when people are indoctrinated, even when showed the truth, they refuse to see the true light.
2) Who are the people chained in the cave?
The people chained in the cave are those people that are controlled or who allow themselves to be controlled by puppeteers. These are the people who have limited knowledge and refuse to come out and see the light. To a certain degree, we are the ones in the cave; any individual who refuses to question the how and the why of things and that allows common dogma to stare the course of our thinking and in turn our lives.
3) How those the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The process of acquiring knowledge is illustrated in the Allegory of The Cave as one that is sometimes strenuous. The process of moving from the darkness to the light can sometimes be painful in the beginning, as our eyes aren’t use to it (our minds can’t fully comprehend/grasp the reality of what really ‘Is’ and what ‘Isn’t’). The process is also described as one that not many truly embark on. The search for ‘Truth’ is one that goes beyond the things seen. It moves into the realms of unknown transcending that of what we know as ‘Reality’.
Alfred Jesse
Reference:
Allegory of the Cave. (n.d.) retrieved from https://journals.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/StudiaAntiqua/article/viewFile/11647/11649
1. How does the allegory of the cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteIn the Allegory of the cave, Plato describes the physical world darkness and mere objects in plain form. What makes it a reality comprises of different factors including our senses, supporting elements such as the sun, and mainly our mind which is the ultimate factor that will in turn enlighten us to what is actually around us. They will not just be copies but the actual being. As in the shadows, they were not defining features but the true object shows what it really is. Example being that the prisoners did not see eyes and mouth on the shadows but when that one prison was released, he saw the true being of the shadow that was cast.
2. Who are the ‘people in the cave’?
The people chained in the cave would be considered those who have not been given the opportunity to experience the world and gain knowledge. For example would be a baby grown in poverty and unable to get schooling would have limited knowledge of the world around him as oppose to a baby who has grown with access to such opportunities. The people that were left in the cave would then be concsidered inferior to the one who was set free. On the other hand, the prisoner set free would be considered insane by the kept prisoners because they know nothing of what he speaks.
3. How does the Allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The process of learning is described as gaining knowledge through experience, adaptation, and the brains ability to process information. The freed prisoner first had to adapt to the sunlight as he had known but only darkness. He then experienced the things around him in all their true form and used his ability to process and store information as means to know exactly what the things are. Experience plays a major role, as illustrated in allegory, when he went back to tell the prisoners about the real world he has experienced they did not believe him because they did not experienced it for themselves. They have no knowledge of anything beyond that cave. In essence, they perceive the entire world to be just in that cave, while the freed prisoner has experienced things beyond the cave and has become more knowledgeable about the world.
Jana a good example of " People living in cave" not to sound discriminating is the Mayas living down south. Remembered they developed resistance when they wanted to paved the southern highway. They wanted it to remain the old way with rocks and holes. They were issues over their lands ect. Sometimes people just need exposure and need explanation as to how it will benefit or improve the way of life.
DeleteThe Allegory of the Cave
ReplyDeletePlato’s view of the physical world reflects that of an idealistic perspective. All the prisoners see is assumed to be reality. It is what is true to them, existing in their minds. The forms on the wall of the cave are really shadows, but in the allegory, the prisoners know not of such; they are oblivious to knowledge of a form called a shadow. To them, the shadows are what is in their cognition as real and so they are willing to defend it to the death. When the released prisoner becomes enlightened by the revelation of the illusion of the shadows, he sees a truer vision, the truth or ‘reality’ of the actual objects which projected the shadows and that of the other worldly things in the upper world. He is first in disbelief; he is perplexed by them all and rejects this as the reality until his eyes become accustomed. He thinks himself happy in the change and he feels pity for the others. He returns to tell of the falsity of what is passed for wisdom; he is rejected and mocked and his life threatened.
‘The people chained in the cave’ represent those who are not enlightened, those who resist and reject changes, those who are mentally enslaved and do not ponder about different perspectives. People become comfortable and complacent in their views of the world and what is acceptable as norms. They begin to identify with what their captures have revealed as truth and so reject attempts of ascent to enlightenment. Disruption of their ‘reality’ or their happiness creates turmoil in the way of life for such people. When this occurs reactions are similar to those of the prisoners in the allegory, there is disbelief, rejection, anger and manifestations of these. Mockery and competition come first to prove argument of theories and eventually there is rage from ignorance and the inability to convince the enlightened and finally there are threats of death.
The allegory describes the process of acquiring knowledge by means of the enlightening of the freed prisoner. He is exposed firstly to the fire, the source of the reality that he knew while he was a prisoner. It caused his eyes to ache as they adjusted. He is shown the true objects that cast the shadows and is led away to the outside of the cave to view and experience the world as it really is physically. He is forced to see the Sun and reason about it as the cause of all things to which they were accustomed. What was the wisdom of the cave is changed by the gaining of knowledge. Similarly the process of acquiring knowledge entails the enlightenment, revelation and evaluation of new ideas, inventions and or methodologies that are created for the sake progress.
By: Alexis Palacio
ReplyDeleteThe Allegory of the Cave illustrates Plato’s view of the physical world/ material world as being an illusion. Plato believes that the world is made up of half seen images of the true form of everything. Therefore, what we see is not a true reflection of what is. He also believes that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who learn through sense experience and those who really know the truth. Just as in the video, “The Allegory of the Cave”, the men were chained in the cave from birth. All they saw was the shadows on the cave wall and because they know nothing else but that of the shadow, they are forced to believe that the shadows are the true reality. When the prisoner was unchained he was forced to turn around to the fire which burnt his eyes because he was not used to it. It was something new to him. He then realized that the objects on the wall were just representations of what truly is, which then leads to true knowledge/ reality.
In my opinion, the people in the cave symbolize us humans. The ones who are not given an opportunity or does not want to explore or experience anything different from what they know. These are the one who are not enlightened with the information to see true knowledge/ reality. We see in the video that when people become comfortable with what they think they know, they tend to reject changes. When the prisoner was freed he came back to share what he discovered with the others but the other prisoners resisted and they laughed thinking that the freed prisoner is corrupted. Now, due to their ignorance and unwillingness to accept information leading to true knowledge, they might want to terminate the individual.
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ describes the process of acquiring knowledge as moving from the dark to the light. The dark being the sense experience and the light being the reality or the truth. This is represented through the freeing of the prisoner from the cave. When the prisoner was in the cave he was in the dark where he perceived reality to be the shadows but when he was taken outside to the light, he then realized that it was not a true image. He was dragged outside whereby the light pained his eyes. This is when you enlighten someone on an issue and they go in disequilibrium (unbalance). When his eyes do adjust to the world outside he sees what the true reality is. So now, the ‘reality’ of the cave is changed through the enlightenment and acceptance of the reality of the world. The allegory of the cave demonstrates to us that this process is not easy but in doing so we free ourselves from illusion, although this freedom brings responsibility.
Just as this video shows how we acquire knowledge, this can be compared to our classrooms. Plato. The Republic (2015) states that, “The philosopher (freed prisoner) must return to the cave and depart his wisdom for the benefit of the ignorant masses, a task that may be harder than the ascent from illusion itself.” When the students come to us, they come with misconceptions about the world or at least something in the world which is their reality. So therefore the students are the prisoners and the teachers are the person who takes them from in the cave to the light to see the truth of the world outside.
Reference
Plato, The republic (R. Grumitt): What does Plato's allegory of the cave illustrate. (2011). Retrieved from http://platoandrelatedthingsetc.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-does-platos-allegory-of-cave.html
How does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteWhen the prisoner escaped and saw the real world he was blinded at first and slowly modified his life to this big change. He could not believe that all the years of watching a wall with shadows was all they were limited to. He realized that the sun gave life to everything and was so determine to get the other prisoners out to experience this new life he had discovered.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The ‘people chained in the cave’ were captured from birth and held tied down by their necks and feet so that they can look directly to the wall. These people only knew life inside the cave, we may say that they are ignorant and afraid of knowledge but in reality they only know what they have been experiencing all their life.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The process of acquiring knowledge highlights the change from darkness to light, the sun is like the eye opener, it blinds you but eventually the escaped prisoner adjusted to ‘new life’ meaning new discovery of life and wisdom.
Ms. Melanie I agree that acquiring knowledge changes from darkness to light as given in the example of the sun. It goes even further to say that in order to acquire knowledge it requires your organs Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Brain. It has to do with what we see in front of us verses the reality For example its just like a child we might encounter in our classrooms. We might wonder why does this child have problem learning, coming to school late, hungry, dirty uniforms ect. That is how the child presents him/her self to us. When you actually get to interview the child on a one on one or meet with the parents/guardian the reality is far different than what we perceived sometimes.
DeleteReferences:
ReplyDeleteAllegory of the cave Archives-Philosophyzer.(n.d.) Retreived from http'://www.philosophyzer.com/tag/allegory of the cave/
www.allegorytheory.com
How does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteThe Allegory of the Cave illustrates Plato’s view of the physical world to be that of an illusion- one that is a mere perception of how we view things. It further crystallizes Plato’s view of the physical world to be somewhat idealistic. It is idealistic in the sense that the way we view the physical world is really just an act of forming or pursuing ideals that is basically unrealistic. As was noted in the video anecdote to the ‘Allegory of the Cave’ the people who were held prisoners in the cave could only see what was being perceived to them. They were perceiving the shadows to be that of real objects when in fact their perception was a mere illusion.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The people chained in the cave were human beings that we captured from birth and were chained by their feet and their necks. They were unable to turn their necks and look sideways. They were in essence only permitted to look straight forward. All that they knew life to be was the cave and all they saw were the shadows of the animals and objects that were made out to them. These humans in the cave basically represented the human mind. This experiment explains how the mind processes information and creates knowledge based on what is shown to them and how they are “trained”.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The ‘Allegory of the Cave’ describes the process of acquiring knowledge to the transforming of one’s perception of reality to exposing one to reality itself. As was noted in the video the ‘Allegory of the Cave’, the only knowledge that the prisoners had was limited to the exposure they got. When one prisoner was freed, and was exposed to reality itself, he was taken aback by it. He was somewhat confused, befuddled, and was even blinded by the reality he saw. Then, as we was further exposed and enlightened to this reality, his perception, knowledge and belief began to change. As he was able to finally grasp the true reality, then was he able to acquire knowledge, but simultaneously understand that he saw in that cave was limited exposure and controlled his understanding and knowledge of things to a mere illusion and perception.
Reference:
Cohen, S. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’. 2006
https://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm
Rosenstand, N. (2000). The moral of the story an introduction to ethics third edition. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company.
ReplyDeleteIn the Allegory of the Cave according to Plato’s argument only philosophers should rule. Plato believes that for society to be a just society, the rulers must be educated as philosophers, so that they acquire knowledge of the Good. But they must also be forced ‘back down’ into the cave, to rule. Plato emphasizes that moving from being a prisoner to eventually being able to look directly at the sun itself will be a difficult and painful process. This fact also explains why philosophers, having achieved knowledge of the Forms, will not want to be rulers; and why people (the prisoners) would not welcome philosophers or recognize that what they say is true. Philosophers, having finally got used to sunlight, will not want to go back into the cave, and will (at least at first) find it very difficult to see properly in the darkness. Meanwhile, people who can only see the images cast on the wall by the fire will believe that those images are reality, and dismiss claims about a ‘world outside the cave’ as madness. Since the philosopher has difficult seeing, they will also argue that ‘the visit to the upper world had ruined his sight, and that the ascent was not even worth attempting’.
ReplyDeletePlato’s Similes of the Cave and the divided line. Retrieved from
http://documents.routledge-interactive.s3.amazonaws.com/9781138793934/A2/Plato/PlatoSimilesLineCave.pdf
How does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteANS: To set the paste Plato was a famous Greek philosopher who wrote the 'Allegory of the Cave'. He attempted to answer some of these philosophical questions, most notably about the nature of reality. Plato saw the physical world basically reflections. The Allegory of the Cave which illustrated Plato’s view of the physical world is to be a mere reflection rather than the ideal forms. In the video I saw that even when the people were chained and put to sit with their backs facing the fire. They saw only shadow puppeteers, who were carrying objects, in the shape of human and animal figures. Due to the fact that the prisoners could only see these reflections on the wall in front of them, since they could not move their heads; they figured the images were real, rather than just shadowy representations of what is actually real.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?
ANS: The people who are chained in the cave according to the allegory of the cave classified them as prisoners. Literally speaking they used the term “prisoners” to refer to human beings who aren’t being exposed to reality. Because they were confined to being in a cave without any knowledge, they developed a sense of ignorance and were uninformed about the truth. The analogy of the cave can be related to individuals that perhaps aren’t being educated and given exposure to explore the reality of life. As human beings we must be exposed to the “real world” in order to function and be self-sustaining.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
ANS: The allegory described the process of acquiring knowledge as a struggle for knowledge.
First of all, Plato believed that one can only learn through dialectic reasoning and open-mindedness. The prisoner’s souls were searching for knowledge or enlightenment. To acquire knowledge Plato emphasized that it is like a vision that requires an organ capable of receiving it. In this case the prisoners were held inside the cave with only their eyes to see the light rather than darkness. Education then is a matter of conversion, a complete turning around from the world of appearance to the world of reality.
References:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-analysis-explanation.html
Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave by Plato
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ReplyDeleteHow does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
ReplyDeleteThe allegory of the cave illustrates Plato`s view of the physical world to be ones perception of reality and the impact created through enlightenment. If one perceives something to be real that is what becomes true to them. The four individuals in the cave were subjected to a conditioned state of reality. They could only gather information about what was right before them. This conditioned state allowed them only to create a reality through there sense of sight and sound if outsiders created those sounds. Even though others might view there situation as credulous, it was what they perceived to be truth. Truth existed for them in the shadows and sounds of the cave until enlightenment was granted to one to see the bigger picture of reality. “Plato sums up his views in an image of ignorant humanity, trapped in the depths and not even aware of its own limited perspective (Wsuedu, 2015).”
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
The people chained in the cave are individuals who are contented with their existents and their reality of truth. They are trapped with no desire to aspire for change or anything greater. In one sense, most people have fallen victims of this reality. For some individuals, it may be by choice for others by circumstances. Lets say a young man refuses to get an education because he believes it is better to run errands and earn a few dollars. Eventually the years go by, reality caught up with him. He is now homeless and jobless. The only alternative he has now is to become a beggar. The outcomes for his actions were based on his choice. On the other hand, there is a single man with no family or children, who has worked all his life and when he decides to retire his company goes bankrupt and he looses everything. His only solution is to beg or walk the streets homeless and hungry. Both these men were hypothetically trapped in the same situation however one was situated by choice the other by circumstances.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
The allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge in two basic steps. First one need to see and then reason in order to acquire knowledge of reality and enlightenment. “Used to the world of illusion in the cave, the prisoners at first resist enlightenment, as students resist education. But those who can achieve enlightenment deserve to be the leaders and rulers of all the rest (Wsuedu, 2015).” After leaving the cave, it was a life altering experience for the prisoner. He had so much to get accustomed to. He was able to enjoy freedom for the first time. He was enlightened by the new truths he was discovering. He desired to have his companions be enlightened as he was. But the harsh reality was that his companions were so accustomed to what they believed to be true that they refused to acquire knowledge of the outside world.
Wsuedu. (2015). Wsuedu. Retrieved 15 November, 2015, from
http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/world_civ/worldcivreader/world_civ_reader_1/plato.html
By William Jones
ReplyDeleteHow does The Allegory of the Cave illustrate Plato’s view of the physical world?
Ans: In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes the physical world as a “dark place” in which humans
can only perceive objects through the senses. Plato referred to these objects as phenomena, or weak
forms of reality. Thus, the physical world is not a realm where humans can obtain knowledge of
true reality (Saylororg, 2015).
I believe Plato was also saying that we cant assume that what we know already is the entire truth, we should always
be willing to unshackle ourselves from what we already know to discover more truths, thus he describes the freed prisoner
who emerged from the cave to be enlightened.
Who are the “people chained in the cave?”
Ans: The “people chained in the cave” are those who, knowing no better and having no opportunity to know better, accept phenomena as
reality. What they perceive through their senses, they interpret as real (Saylororg, 2015).
In my opinion Plato is describing individuals who are unwilling to change and does who accept the old way of doing things. As it relates to education we must meet the challenge of finding new and creative ways to pass down knowledge.
How does the allegory describe the process of acquiring knowledge?
Ans: Plato describes the process of acquiring knowledge as the evolution from darkness to the light. In this journey, humans are able to
see the essence of truth, or in other words, they are able to gain an understanding of what is actually real. This process, though
painful and distressing, will at the end offer freedom and enlightenment to those who have acquire knowledge (Saylororg, 2015).
I truly agree, the process and the acquirement of knowledge is the beginning of sorrows. As Solomon wrote For in much wisdom is much grief: and that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:18, King James Version). Its ironic we believe that more knowledge we have the happier we will be but in the end we see it as vanity.
Saylororg. (2015). Study guide for Plato's Allegory of the cave. Retrieved15 November, 2015, from http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-
content/uploads/2011/12/HIST101-Subunit-5.3.5-Reading-Guide-Allegory-of-the-Cave-FINAL.pdf.