Plato's Republic, Book VII - The Allegory of the Cave Essay

Plato's Republic, Book VII - The Allegory of the Cave - Essay Example Since the cave represents the world in which we initially live, with the condition of gloom symbolic of human ignorance, as prisoners of ignorant thought or apprehension, we ought to settle such predicament by moving from the state of darkness where only illusions can be made into that of light in order to acquire a clear view of things. Here, Socrates attempts to communicate the essence of education in the significance of correcting the way things are seen where one engages not only with viewing matters of the physical world accurately but also with the point of gaining access to the ‘forms of ideas’ that are independent of the visible world. Cave dwellers are representative of us people who need to climb our way out of the cave in search of light and the quest is conducted on a gradual basis for any event of proper learning is similar to a meticulous quest which cannot be hurried. This brings stages and identity to a cave dweller who is a metaphor of a person who could reserve the option to stay, leave, and return to the cave. (c) Based on your answer in part â€Å"b†, what does Socrates expect you to do as a result of hearing this story? Be sure you defend your interpretation of the allegory of the Cave. Use examples from the text as needed and provide good reasons to support your interpretation. While Socrates illustrates how indispensable education is in living and what entails systematic acquisition of knowledge which so often is tedious and complex, depending upon the influences that surround a person and his comprehension of them, the philosopher in dialogue expects for the audience to respond by taking concrete action. Having been able to come out of the cave of ignorance, one certainly becomes acquainted to the reality as experienced in the actual so that any prior knowledge is translated with exactness. After this is appropriately carried out, I suppose that Socrates expects the educated individual like me to be accountable for ot hers who are still in the dark and convince them to see the light. In particular application to my life, struggling to get along with a group of people for instance likewise embodies my way out of the cave of illusions wherein while I justify my righteousness over certain matters of dispute, I am blind to the truth about the goodness in others, judging them by my