But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better [520c] and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the den, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another [520d] about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst. —Plato, as translated by Jowett.
—The Allegory of the Cave (Plato’s Republic/University of Evansville)
In this excerpt from Plato’s Republic, education is presented as the means to creating noble leaders. Socrates (the character in Plato’s dialogue) notes a double-dichotomy; those who are most fit to rule do not hunger after power, while those who hunger most after power are the likeliest to rule, though their rule is not best for the State. While the general populace sits chained in a metaphorical cave, watching faint shadows of puppet shows on the wall and doing their best to sort out what they see, the true philosopher has left the cave and seen more of the world through the natural light of the sun.
But — and here’s the part I don’t remember “getting” when I first came across this selection as an undergraduate — it is not enough for the individual philosopher to escape the shadows; those of truly noble character will be moved to pity the multitudes still chained in the dark, and will voluntarily return to the world of shadows. At first, having grown accustomed to the sunlight of reason, they will have difficulty adjusting to the shadow world, but eventually they will be able to teach the masses about the reality of the objects they perceive only via shadows.
I found this site via the Plato FAQ website.
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Interesting essay, Sam.
Of course, it's also possible to interpret The Allegory of the Cave in light of scientific rationalism, media theory, or for that matter, Full House fanfiction.
OK, that last one would be a stretch, but my point is that it's possible to make a case that anything is like pretty much anything else, including apples and oranges.
I'm hardly an expert on Plato, and my comment on this page was in response to someone's request for my personal opinion. But if my blog meets your instructor's requirements as a source for this paper, then I'm happy to have helped.
Christian Idealism present in Plato?s Allegory of the cave
Many of Plato?s ideals can be accurately interpreted as being compatible with
Christian ideals (Dr Dennis G. Jerz ) . In fact it is believed by one Christian group that
Plato?s teachings must be accepted for they are consistent with biblical
instructions.( ?How Plato Relates to Jesus ? 2 ) . This ?compatibility? with Plato?s
ideals allowed for people to understand Christian ideals ( Steven Kreis 3 ) .Plato has
stated many things that agree with Christian ideals. For example once he said that the
only way to have true knowledge is through death however though he states no one
should open the door to soon ( commit suicide) ( ?How Plato Relates to Jesus? 2 ) .
Most Christians would agree with this believing that only at death will God give the
answers but you should not commit suicide to seek the answers (? How Plato Relates To Jesus?2 ) .
The ideology put forth by Plato in the Allegory of the Cave has many similarities
to Christian ideology . The Allegory of the Cave is full of symbols and metaphors that
point to a direct correlation between Plato?s ideas and Christian dogma The objects and
messages in Plato?s Allegory of the Cave are symbols of Christian ideals. The
philosophical messages in Plato?s Allegory of the Cave about the world and reality
are identical to that of Christian Philosophical ideas about reality and the world .
The things in the story can be considered symbols of Christian idols . The role of people
In the story can be seen as an analogy for Christ and how is able to save us from our sins.
The roles of things in the cave are symbolic equivalents to Christian symbols.
These symbols play a just as equal role in the story as what they stand for in
the Christian world .The cave consists of two worlds the Upper World and the Lower
World. ( Hooker Richard 10 ) . The upper world is ?heaven? for it is here
where the escaped prisoner realizes that his beliefs are flawed . This is alike the
Christian belief that only by reaching heaven can one find the complete truth ( How
Plato Relates to Jesus 2 ) . The cave is our body and only the prisoners can free
themselves from the cave this is alike the Christian idea that people must be willing to
seek salvation in order to receive it . The sun that shines is into the cave is the good or
?god? that is trying to show us the right way ( Allegory of the Cave Wikipedia 2 ) .
Guards symbolize Satan for they don?t want the people to leave to cave into the light
they only want the people to see the fraction of reality that the prisoners see. According
to Christian ideas Satan also does not want us to find the truth and he wants us to stay
ignorant , seeing only part of truth and not all of it . (Dennis G. Jerz 2 ) Although the
guards will tempt us to stay ignorant the prisoners still are the only ones who can turn
around and see the truth (the light ) . Only they themselves can leave when given the
chance and actually go into the world of light and truth ( Allegory of the Cave
Wikipedie 3 ).Though the light shining into the cave tries to reach the prisoners , again
they are the only ones who can turn and see it . This concept of the prisoners willing to
accept truth symbolizes man kind . Only a person who seeks the truth can receive it thus
turning ones head and looking into the light . However once a person knows the truth he
must be willing to accept it other words leave the cave . The light is God or his
followers which tries to tell the people but can not unless they are willing to here it and
accept it . ( How people relates to Jesus 3) The chains which bind the prisoners
represent sin which we have placed upon are selves .( Allegory of the cave
via Jerz Forum 2 ) .
Within the story there are various messages that Plato tries to get out to the reader
about reality and the world . These messages can be easily accepted by Christians. ( How
Plato relates to Jesus 2) One message is that the world that we live is only temporary and
an illusion as is the cave itself. Real reality or life after death is unconceivable to those
here on earth ( the cave ) tthat is why the escaped person had such a hard time trying to
tell the others the truth . Reality exists beyond a personal experience of it this is implied
by the story because the prisoner was never able to know what the truth was until he left t
he cave . Things that are real are not always things that you can see and touch many
Christians will agree with this when they speak of angels heaven and other things. Just
because the prisoners didn?t leave the cave into the light doesn?t mean that the world
outside of it was not there . ( How Plato relates to Jesus 1-) The? true ?world holds
equal or less truth then the world of ideas and beliefs , for the objects that prisoners saw
were only shadows of objects not the objects themselves. (Mark Cohen 1-2 )although
the prisoners didn?t believe the escaped prisoner the idea of this place of truth was just as
true as the objects the prisoners saw. ?The at the top (first principles )
have more truth and more existence :the at the bottom (reflections ) have almost no truth
and barely exist at all ? (Richard Hooker 10) . This message is preached by Christians
that whatever truth or fact that is presented the belief in the faith and what ?God? says is
also more true than what is told to people physically on this earth. The message that
escaped prisoner give to the others describes the Christian view
of Jesus . (How Jesus relates to Plato 2- )
The role that Jesus plays in Christianity is core to becoming Christian .
This role similarly compares to the role of the escaped prisoner. ?Like the slave in
Plato?s Allegory of the Cave Christ came to the captives to tell them of the beauty of
Truth that so very near to them . Just as the slaves in Plato?s cave killed the one who
could bring them freedom :so too, the captive of sin slew their one and only
Savior? ( How Jesus relates to Plato 2) . Jesus is the splendor of Truth as was the
escaped slave . Like Jesus the escaped prisoner was killed because no one believed him
or wanted to believe him . ( How Jesus relates to Plato 1 -3) .The upper world was
unconceivable and unexplainable to those the prisoner tried to explain .The only who
could understand was the escaped prisoner . This is comparable is Jesus role as God only
he could understand for he was God and could not explain divine things in a way that a
living human could understand . (Allegory of the Cave Jerz Literacy Web log 2 ) It is
said only when one can leave the cave ( or this world ) can God show us :
?One could say that Jesus Christ was much the citizen who able to make
it out to the cave to see the entirely new world . A world of three
dimensions rather than 2 dimensions . Perhaps this sense of dimension can
be transcended . For example we as . humans live a two dimensional life
spiritually and physically . It is only when get into Heaven the world that
Christ has seen , that we will under stand and see this three dimensional
world. We are still in the cave as humans only witness shadows on the
walls of the chained by oppression of sin ?.
(Allegory of the Cave via jerz Literacy web long )
The ignorant prisoners are a metaphor for people un willing to accept Christ. They
refuse to seek truth or leave the cave. They don?t wish to trust the escaped prisoner
because it hard to understand so they don?t accept it . People who do not seek the truth or
accept to truth can not be saved. The can be saved by Jesus unless they wish to believe
and trust him . Those do choose to remain ignorant seal they own fate. For those who do
belief the process is life changing and perhaps difficult as was the prisoner who was
blinded by light and was unable to see until he was able to adjust . ( Allegory of the Cave
Wikipedia 2-3)
The Allegory of Cave is rea
ding that is very comparable to Christianity. The
Stories symbolize many Christian ideals. The messages the one could receive about the
worlds can be accepted by Christians . The role of Christ is very similar to that of the
escaped prisoner . The many things of story can be perceived as being Christian.
The things like light , the cave , the chain symbolize things like god , the world or
our bodies , sin . The idea of true reality being unconceivable and still being more true
than the physical world is believed by Christians. The escaped prisoner is similar Christ
he knows the truth but other don?t want to believe. They can not be saved unless they
trust and belief the escaped the prisoner .
There's a strong tradition of interpreting Plato in Christian terms. Christian metaphors of light (not under a bushel, for instance) fit well with within Plato's allegory. Plato's abstract concept of "good" is similar to the Christian theological concept of God as omnisicient, omnipotent, perfect, etc. The Christian concept of "good" as "things ordered the way God intends" and "evil" as "things disordered or damaged" is similar to Plato. The devil cannot create or even destroy, he can only tempt us to be less than we are intended to be; a square with a corner knocked off is a bad square, and the place where the missing corner should be is where evil resides.
Dr. Jerz,
I am a student at Seton Hill and I came across this interesting blog entry. I find the allegory of the cave very interesting. Reading it as a political science student, I am familiar with the story. The most interesting aspect of this story from "The Republic" is that it establishes a prophetical essence in regards to religion. One could say that Jesus Christ was much the citizen who was able to make it out to the cave to see the entirely new world. A world of three dimensions, rather than two dimensions. Perhaps this sense of dimension can be transcended. For example, we as humans live a two dimensional life--spiritually and physically. It is only when we get into Heaven, the world that Christ has seen, that we will understand and see this three dimensional world. We are still in the cave as humans only to witness shadows on the walls of the cave while chained by the oppression of sin.
It had crossed my mind, just thought I would inquire as to what your own thoughts were. I felt compelled to sure, though I am sure it has crossed your mind. :)
Richard, you sure cover a lot of ground... I'm not quite sure how to respond, but thanks for the comment!
Interested in Marx and Marxism in new critical perspective, pushing thoughts and perspectives into many new areas.
I think Sir Karl Popper's approach to the criticism of Marx and others is good as far as it goes, but it can go a lot further. I would bring in ideas of religion and spirituality, reincarnation, Christianity and yoga (eastern philosophy generally).
I find C.J. Jung interesting in this respect, especially in reference to archetypeas and the collective unconscious.