Hidden Truths
Platos Allegory of the Cave is an extended metaphor for human existence. It always relays the message that truth must be experienced rather than told. This idea corresponds with the modern world and society that we all live in today.
In our society we are taught at a young age to believe certain things and think a certain way. There are various opportunities for us to expand and explore our knowledge, but here they have been from childhood, chained by the leg and also the neck, so they cannot move and only see what is in front of them.(Plato, page 49). Society portrays an image of how life should be and what is right and wrong, and those who attempt to expand those ideas are frowned upon. For example, teacher John Scopes was accused of violating the Butler Act in 1925, which made any teaching of evolution unlawful. He was put on a long trial and was fined for teaching an un-biblical theory. Society frowned upon his attempt to expand the minds of children, because it was different from what the believed, and it was not the truth.
When the prisoners were chained, and could see nothing but what was in front of them, they failed to look at each other or themselves, and explore the thought of anything else existing. They had a fear of change and only believed what they could see. Prisoners so confined would have seen nothing of themselves or of one another. (Page 50) therefore, when one of the prisoners escaped and saw the truth, the others refuse to believe his lies. They had created such an idea in their minds that nothing else could be true of their entire world and the facts they had known since birth. This corresponds to our society because we are trained from a very young age to put ourselves first. We are often swayed to believing in what our parents have taught us is correct. If we were not so confined to believing what we have been taught, but instead explored different opinions and thoughts, we would better see each other and understand one another.
Plato proposes that there is something bigger than what we know creates fear. After living a life for years in one certain way, and being forced to look at the firelight itself, would not his eyes ache, so that he would try to escape and turn back to things he could see distinctly, (Page 51); therefore, being expected to change it 100% seems is not fathomable to these prisoners. How could the life they always lived be a lie? Turning to face reality hurts sometimes- as does the truth. Turning back to see distinctly is uncomfortable. Keeping the truth hidden is painless and simple.
Within this allegory, I believe we could all learn something about ourselves. Platos messages can be interpreted in many different ways, but can teach valuable lessons of our lives and how far we explore other ideas. We need to be open to thought and expand our learning, to become enlightened.
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