Plato Study Questions

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
The Cave represents the people that are enlightened (being outside the cave) and those who have to teach the people who are not enlightened.
2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
Fire is a very important imagery to the allegory it represent knowledge which the prisoners don't recognize only thinking it is a shadow.
3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
The First Step would be to "turn your head" or believing that you can do something and wanting to be enlightened. Then once you take that leap jumping outside could be scary but when you adjust you realize how much better it is because you know more then you did before.
4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
The prisoners were comfortable in the cave because that's all they know. They don't know there is more out there are that because they are shackled they think they can't do anything about it. But if they just turned their heads.
5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
What can shackle the minds today is adults or others telling you you can't do something or that you are too dumb, when in reality if you try hard enough you can succeed.
6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
The freed prisoner is happy (enlightened) and wants to share his experiences with the others. When he goes back the cave prisoners (unenlightened) won't believe because they are to set on what they already know.
7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
They are when the freed prisoner was trying to convince the others that there is more out there but they don't even know who it is or that he is a friend.
8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
They got free by turning there head and the shackles breaking off (easy as long as you think you can) This shows that intellectual freedom is there and that all you have to do is be determined.
9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I agree there is a difference but there isn't much. Only you know what is real and fake to yourself. It is all what you want to think.
10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
That everything is real or that individuals performing their own reality bound to what they know.