1.2 Plato's understanding of reality Flashcards
What is Plato’s allegory of the cave?
Plato asks us to imagine that a group of prisoners are chained in an underground cave. They have been there since birth and are chained by their necks and ankles. They can only see the shadows on the wall by a fire. They believe that the shadows are that exists. If one day a prisoner were released and were to venture outside the cave, once his sight adjusted he would realise that it was the outside world that was real and that the cave itself was just a shadow world. If the prisoner were to return and attempt to pass on his new knowledge, Plato argues that he would not be believed .
What do the prisoners in the allegory of the cave represent ?
Ordinary people in our world
What does the cave in the allegory of the cave represent ?
The empirical world that we see and hear around us.
What do the chains represent in the allegory of the cave?
The sense that restrict the way we experience things.
What do the shadows represent in the allegory of the cave?
Our everyday sense experiences.
What does the escapee represent in the allegory of the cave?
The philosopher who is able to gain knowledge.
What does the difficult ascent in the allegory of the cave represent?
An illustration that the road to philosophical knowledge is hard.
What does the outside world represent in the allegory of the cave?
The real world, the world of the Forms.
What does the sun represent in the allegory of the cave?
The highest of all the Forms, The form of the good.
What does the return to the cave represent in the allegory of the cave?
The philosopher once enlightened feels it is his duty to free and educate the others.
What does the difficulty in adjusting to the darkness represent in the allegory of the cave?
Once a philosopher knows the truth, it is difficult to experience things as the ordinary person does.
