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Plato's Allegory of The Cave: Prisoners Fire Chain Sun

Plato's Allegory of the Cave uses prisoners chained in a cave as a metaphor for individuals trapped in the sensory world. The prisoners see shadows on the cave wall created by a fire, representing manufactured beliefs passed from others. If a prisoner is freed and sees the sun, representing universal truth, they can serve as a teacher to enlighten the other prisoners about the higher level of understanding of unchanging forms outside the cave.

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Gold Fajardo
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92 views1 page

Plato's Allegory of The Cave: Prisoners Fire Chain Sun

Plato's Allegory of the Cave uses prisoners chained in a cave as a metaphor for individuals trapped in the sensory world. The prisoners see shadows on the cave wall created by a fire, representing manufactured beliefs passed from others. If a prisoner is freed and sees the sun, representing universal truth, they can serve as a teacher to enlighten the other prisoners about the higher level of understanding of unchanging forms outside the cave.

Uploaded by

Gold Fajardo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Platos Allegory of The

Cave
Prisoners Fire Chain Sun

Prisoners represent all individuals as souls trapped in a sensory world

Chain - represents anything that keeps the individual from having the freedom to learn.

Cave - represents the sensory or superficial world, in which individuals simply react to the information
that is presented to them.

The outside world - represents the higher level of understanding, where "forms" or truths are
unchanging.

Teacher - represents those individuals who wish to enlighten others, and have the ability to compel
learning.

Fire - a source of manufactured light. It represents manufactured information/beliefs. These may be true
or untrue, but it is still passed on from others.

Shadows - Represent the knowledge/beliefs we gain from others and accept as truths.

Sun - Universal symbol of truth, knowledge, and/or goodness.

Moon - Represents "reflected" goodness/truth or knowledge. Just as the moon does not show the true
form of objects, the goodness/truth/knowledge gained is not complete understanding.

Objects - to Plato, these represented the "forms"--the highest kinds of eternal truth--as revealed by the
true source of goodness/truth/knowledge.

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