Plato’s Cave Allegory

• Summarise Platos Cave Allegory


  3 people chained in a cave, one leaves, goes outside, is blind but enlightened, returns and is met with violence
• What does the cave represent

  Visible world
• What does the man represent

  The philosopher
• What do the prisoners represent


  Ignorant society
• What do the shadows represent


  Perceptions of reality
• What does the outside represent

  True reality
• What does the sun represent


  Enlightenment
• What does the journey out represent

  Being enlightened
• What does the return to the cave represent


  Return to society
• What do the chains represent


  Chained by own ignorance
• What is the form of the good


  Ultimate perfect reality
• What is the allegory of the cave a metaphor for

  The struggle of being a philosopher
• Strengths of platos cave allegory


  1. Understand our world has imperfections

  2. Don't take things at face value
• Weaknesses of platos cave allegory


  1. Impossible to prove

  2. Elitest

  3. Labels society as ignorant

  4. It's nothing like our current world
• What did Socrates argue about going to the upper world


  It also ruined the man's sight