There are human beings in a dark cave, bound by chains and facing the wall; they see only shadows of themselves and the shadows that are shown to them by other human beings behind them. They have been there since birth, so what they see on the wall in front of them is what they perceive as reality. However, one is finally set free from his chains and thus is able to see the real reality; he is able to see the world as it exists not as it is shown to them. He sees the shadows, then reflections, then objects themselves, then the stars and the moon, and finally sunlight, which symbolises the actual nature of things or the truth. After having set eyes on the sun, this man cannot go back to the cave, to the dark, and see the world as he used to before he started contemplating the truth.
Like the sun, it causes all things to exist, to be visible, and to become intelligible. The passage also contains evidence of Plato’s practical side as a moralist and political thinker. He insists that men who have been converted from error to truth--men who are the true philosophers—despite their understandable reluctance must descend again into the cave to serve and enlighten their fellow men. Only when this happens will the state be ruled by the best and most intelligent men. “Until philosophers are kings,” writes Plato in another passage in the Republic, “or the kings and rulers of this world have the spirit of philosophy, until political power and wisdom are united, until those commoner natures, who pursue either to the exclusion of the other, stand aside, states will never have rest from their evils—no, nor, I believe, will the human race...” Socrates: And now, let me show in a parable how far our nature may be enlightened or unenlightened: Behold!
The argument that Socretes made was staying in prison and facing justice. He pondered the positive and negative outcomes of his descision based on his teachings and beliefs. Socretes says, if the state was the reason of his existance, nurture, and education, then he is in fact the slave to the law (Plato, 226). If the law condems him to death, then they must be correct in their descision. Socrates also states that if he is attempting to injure the state; even after these liberties that they provided him and every other Athenian citizen (Plato 227) , then he is making the right descision.
Behind the prisoners is a low wall, a walkway and a large fire that lights up the cave. Every once in a while, people walk across the walkway carrying objects and because the walkway is in front of the fire, it causes shadows to be cast against the wall in front of the prisoners – just like shadow puppets. They associate the sounds made by the people casting the shadows against the wall of the cave with the shadow itself because they know nothing better. This is the only reality they have ever known. The prisoners represent ignorant, less educated people who have not yet opened their minds to the philosophical truth – the intelligible realm.
The ancient Geeks had a significant impact on the western civilization. Ancient Greek culture can be seen all over the world. In the fields of art, architecture philosophy, math and drama. One Greek who made contributions to philosophy was Socrates. He believed in the Socratic Method he stated people should question the world around him.
The way in which Socrates defended himself was by calling Meletus to be questioned about the people that were considered good influences on the youth. The strength of Socrates argument comes from the method in which he asks the questions so in the end he forces Meletus to prove his point for him. After a series of questions regarding the specifics of whom might be considered a good influence on the youth, Socrates says, “So every person in Athens, it would appear, has an excellent influence on them except for me, whereas I alone am corrupting them.” (25a) This is a very valid argument because he compares this to taming a horse and through logical reasoning attempts to show that its nearly impossible for everyone to have the skill to tame a horse while only one person can be blamed of ruining it. This example illustrates that in reality Meletus doesn’t desire to help the children like Socrates
Plato’s Cave Plato believed in the idea of a cave where prisoners were kept and shown images on a wall by fire and people holding up objects. The images that were projected was the only thing the prisoners knew existed. The people holding up the objects control what the prisoners see and what they know. This is the same in the movie Dear Frankie. Frankie is the prisoner being showed the images and his mother is the person holding the objects.
POLT 1070 October 13th, 2008 Platonic Leader vs. Machiavellian Ruler Niccolo Machiavelli and Plato were both visionary political philosophers that had specific ideas on how a state should function and very strong recommendations on the roles of the citizens in the states, specifically in regards to the ruler. Whereas Plato had more of a harmonic idea of how things should work, advocating that societies function as a whole for the benefit of everyone in it, Machiavelli felt that power and glory for the ruler were ultimately more important. The virtuous leader that abides by the same moral laws as the other citizens do was unimportant to Machiavelli. Of course, Plato and Machiavelli came from very different times, and this seemingly had a very profound influence on their political ideas. For example, Plato was writing with an idea of Athens in his mind, and attempting to improve on what many considered was a great democracy.
THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE The following is an excerpt from Plato’s dialogue called “The Republic.” In this section of the dialogue called the “Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates creates an allegory to help illustrate his theory of knowledge. “Now then,” Socrates said, “let me tell you a story about ignorance and education which will explain the condition of man’s nature. Imagine that there is an underground cave with a long entrance open to the light. In this cave men have been chained from birth, fettered by the neck and legs so they cannot move. They cannot turn their heads around; they can only look forward at the wall of the cave.
Socrates Through out the history of mankind there have been many influences on the way we think, and the way we view the heavens and the earth. In this paper I am focusing on one in particular, and his name is Socrates. But my question is what makes these people so smart that they can tell us how to think, what to question, or even what to believe in? Socrates for one was one of the guiltiest of this concept. He was known for corrupting the youth, questioning government, questioning religion, studying the heavens and the earth, and telling others about what he thought was the right way to think.