Alegory of the cave

A detailed Summary of Alegory of the cave

The allegory of the cave represents a person's progression from a child to an adult. Plato makes note of several different things people need to master or learn in life. Leaving the cave and discovering reality is Plato's way of describing the psychological development and maturation of human beings.

Plato's allegory of the cave is based around these men living in a cave. "Since childhood the cave dwellers have had their legs and necks shackled so as to be confined to the same spot. They are further constrained by blinders that prevent them from turning their heads" (514 b). Behind them there is a fire, several puppets, and hidden puppeteers. The only thing these men can see is the shadows cast by the puppets. So their entire lives these men believe these shadows to be the only reality. Then one day one of the prisoners breaks free and flees the cave. When he reaches the opening he is blinded because his eyes have never been exposed to such light. At first he would "see shadows; next, reflections in the water of men and other objects. Then he would see objects themselves" (516 a). In time the prisoner would fully understand reality. Once the prisoner absorbed all of this wisdom he would want to return to the cave

Dialectic is the social skills we acquire through life through practice in classrooms and with other people. It is important for supporting our ideas and theory's in life. Without it we are much like babies or prisoners who lack means of communication. As adults we use dialectic at job interviews, with our employers, in the classroom and in everyday tasks. It is used to communicate with one another in a educated manner.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As adults we feel its necessary to educate those less informed than we are. This is much like the prisoner's desire to go back into the cave and tell the others of the reality outside the cave. However, he lacks the ability to communicate with them much like a mother who lacks the ability communicate with a new born. "We cannot talk to babies and ask them about their experiences" (116) Language provides us with a source of shared symbols for communicating with others. Babies must learn language or actions in order to communicate with parents.

The progression that Plato writes about represents the psychological development and maturation of people. When born children have no conception of objects other than themselves and the few things that constantly surround them like parents. Like the shadows, parents are the only reality ch

Some common words found in the essay are:
, allegory cave, arithmetic geometry, geometry astronomy, plato's allegory cave, lacks ability communicate, psychological development maturation, arithmetic geometry astronomy, understand reality, shadows reality, lacks ability, objects themselves, plato's allegory, development maturation, subjects skills,

Approximate Word count = 905
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

join now Save Paper

Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

"Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
Jack M.
"With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
Brian P.
"I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
Sara J.
"I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
Rachel W.
"I love this site!!!"
Marie N.