An Interpretation of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Plato was a man who was capable of making people think and question the world around them. Being a man who wrote phenomenal stories that contained many of his complex ideas, Plato is still one of the most influential philosophers to this day. The “Allegory of the Cave,” perhaps his most widely known story, focuses on the limitations of the senses people experience every day.
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is a story about some prisoners who are stuck in a cave, and chained down only being allowed to see one wall. Throughout their entire lives, the only reality they believed existed were the shadows of puppets they saw being reflected on the wall. One day, a prisoner escapes the cave and sees the world for how it really is. Shocked by his realization, the prisoner goes back to tell the others what he has discovered, but they all end up getting upset at him and disregarding what he said.
Plato’s epistemology is represented rather clearly in the “Allegory of the Cave.” The story reveals that Plato believes people are living in an “untrue” world because they are accepting what they have always known to be true. It is his belief that we will not reach “true” reality until we gain knowledge and find answers to our questions about life.
In regards to Plato’s epistemology, senses and intellect are rather complex. Plato prefers to disregard senses because he feels that they fail to provide any stability due to the fact that they are constantly changing, and are unreliable. Senses are simply ones opinion, and lead one to accept living in an “unreal” world in Plato’s epistemology. Intellect on the other hand, is the key to achieving the “real” world. To be on the intellectual side rather than the sensory side of the realm, one must learn through a philosophical approach.
Although the “Allegory of the Cave” is an interesting story, it has a much deeper meaning than just some prisoners being stuck in a cave. The shadows, the cave, and the prisoner who escapes and then returns, each symbolize an aspect of Plato’s view on the limitations of the senses. Plato is unique in the fact that he does not believe that the senses we experience as people, are an accurate representation of what reality is.
In Plato’s opinion, true reality is perceived to be experienced through our senses, but must actually be pertained intellectually. He believes that we as people, base everything we know off of our senses, and acquire our personal viewpoints through those around us. If we abolish the need to rely solely on our senses though, we may finally see reality for what it truly is.
Plato’s justification for living in the privileged position of intellect rather than through our senses relates back to his epistemology. He believed that most people live in the illusion of what they think is a good world, based off of opinions and settling for what they are used to. He also thought though, that there was a better world that could be achieved through gaining knowledge.
In conclusion, the “Allegory of the Cave” is a widely known story written by Plato that represents a vast array of his ideas such as intellect and limitations of the senses. “Allegory of the Cave” has and will continue to inspire and make people think today. Lawhead, William F. The
