Plato's analogy of the cave

Question 1

Name three points Plato tries to teach through the analogy.

Answer 1

1) Ignorance of humanity without philosophy
2) philosophy=enlightment
3) Initial difficulties of philosophy
4) Philosphy usually brings hostility
5) ‘drawing out’ stage
6) open up to reality

Question 2

Explain Plato’s analogy of the cave in simple terms.

Answer 2

Prisoners are chained to the cave and are only able to look forward. There is a fire behind them with a wall in front of them. Behind the wall is a track which people carry objects along. These are all artificial and the people give them voice and movement. One escapes and is forces to see the daylight, when he returns the others threaten to kill him if he tries and tells or shows them the truth.

Question 3

What does the Cave represent?

Answer 3

World of conventional ideas and opinions.

Question 4

What does the fire represent?

Answer 4

Decides what you’re able to see.

Question 5

What does the Daylight represent?

Answer 5

The truth.

Question 6

What does the Objects represents?

Answer 6

How easily deceived people are.

Question 7

What do the Chains represent?

Answer 7

Laws and ignorance.

Question 8

What do the shadows represent?

Answer 8

Everyday facts

Question 9

What does the released prisoner represent?

Answer 9

Those who question life.

Question 10

What does the remaining prisoner represent?

Answer 10

Those who are frightened to question life and what society says is correct.

Question 11

What are the strengths of Platos analogy? (3)

Answer 11

1) helps us to understand why there are imperfections in the world.
2) forces you to think philosophically
3) encourages us not to accept things at face value.

Question 12

What are the weaknesses of Platos analogy? (2)

Answer 12

1) it doesn’t help us understand the world we live in.

2) Plato implies the senses are useless, however we’ve survived millions of years with them.

Question 13

What criticism did Mel Thompson raise about Platos analogy?

Answer 13

‘He fails to illustrate the attractiveness of the physical world; the scene inside the gloomy cave hardly represents the delights of the senses’

Question 14

What is the difference between intellectual knowledge and knowledge gained through the senses?

Answer 14

Senses=could be mistaken and is no more than mere opinion.

Reason=certain

Question 15

Finish the sentence.

There is not just one moral story but…

Answer 15

A variety of mixed points are made which link to express his understanding of the progress of the mind from its lowest stages to the highest and most enlightened knowledge of the good.

Question 16

What does Plato suggest about the body by using the analogy?

Answer 16

A prison in which the soul is trapped.

Question 17

What does Plato imply when the remaining prisoners threaten to kill the escaped one when he offers them the truth?

Answer 17

He suggest Socrates was killed because of the stupidity of people who didn’t recognise the value of enlightment.

Question 18

What contrast does the annolgy make?

Answer 18

A contrast between people who see only appearances, but mistake them for the truth, and those who really do see the truth.

Question 19

How was the annolgy written?

Answer 19

As a dialogue between Socrates and his student Galucon (Plato brother)

Question 20

In general what do the images in the cave represent?

Answer 20

The Forms. How the world is only imperfect representations of the forms.

Question 21

What must you get from true belief?

Answer 21

Knowledge

Question 22

What does Plato view as being natural?

Answer 22

Education. It is unnatural to remain in the cave.

Question 23

How do you understand the forms?

Answer 23

You must understand the truth through philosophical thinking.

Question 24

What is the material world made up from?

Answer 24

The senses which are effectively blind.