1. Plato + Aristotle : Allgry of the cave

Question 1

what book is it in

Answer 1

the republic

Question 2

context of writing?

Answer 2

At the time he was living in Athens, a centre of culture and learning. He was concerned about his fellow citizens and wanted to present a better, more ethical way of living.

Question 3

top 3 things he wanted to illustrate

Answer 3

1. The ignorance of humanity when it is not engaged in philosophy
   2. There is another world that we cannot see but we can reach it and gain enlightenment
   3. That education is a ‘leading-out’, it is about drawing out things they already know instead of stuffing their heads with information.

Question 4

who is the dialogue between

Answer 4

Socrates and Glaucon.

Question 5

Short summary!

Answer 5

Prisoners are chained to face one direction in a cave, their only light is from a fire behind them. Shadows of puppets are visibly thrown onto the walls. Therefore all they can see is shadows. They believe that the truth is that all objects in the world are two-dimensional.
They are unable to distinguish between reality and appearance and do not know that there is any difference.
The prisoners are missing out on a whole world of knowledge, just as there is a realm of the forms that we are ignorant of.

One reluctant prisoner is led out of the cave, the journey up is tough, as a metaphor for the struggle of having all your prior beliefs questioned. He would then be dazzled by the brightness of the sun. At first he would recognise the shadows off objects best but eventually he will be able to see objects. He gradually experiences an awakening, an `enlightenment’, as he becomes aware of a more beautiful and real world than the dark world he has been used to. Finally he will be able to see the sun and argue that the sun ‘is the guardian is of all that is in the visible world’ The sun illuminates all his knowledge.

When the enlightened man returns to tell his friends, he struggles to see in the darkness, they dislike his crazy assertions and see that the experience has been painful to his limbs and eyes. They refuse to question their current beliefs, they are in eikasia, the lowest form of ignorance.

Question 6

message of allegory

Answer 6

We are also living in a world of illusions where none of our knowledge is really knowledge at all, it is only through understanding of the form of the good that we can understand justice, wisdom or beauty.

Question 7

• The Cave

Answer 7

• The sensory realm, entrapment in this world and body prevents us from understanding the truth

Question 8

• The Fire

Answer 8

Artificial/ not true light - provides falsity.

Question 9

• The Prisoners

Answer 9

• The masses manipulated in the world of the senses tricked by authority

Question 10

• The Echoes

Answer 10

• Authority manipulating masses e.g. the Athenian government who tried to manipulate Socrates

Question 11

• The sun

Answer 11

• The form of the good (enlightenment) gives purpose and meaning to all of the other forms.

Question 12

• The escaped prisoner -

Answer 12

• The philosopher who uses their reason to challenge the sensory world and once they realise the truth they want to help those in ignorance.

Question 13

• The journey of the escaped prisoner -

Answer 13

• a metaphor for the journey upwards is the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world

Question 14

• The Games played by the prisoners

Answer 14

• They have their priorities wrong - they are distracted by materialism social status (being the best predictor)

Question 15

• The shadows

Answer 15

• Objects in this realm are reflections, not reality