Is anyone familiar with Philosophy? It’s a greek word that means the love (philo) of wisdom (sophia). If we practice loving wisdom, perhaps what that means is improving our reasoning and judgment in order to make our communities and lives better. My background, by the way, is in teaching philosophy for children. We are all philosophers. It’s a natural part of the human condition to try to understand things, reason better, and make better choices. How do we do it? If we have those goals, doing philosophy (unlike reading Plato) can’t be avoided. Maybe Plato can help shed some light on that, though.
I think the second video link in the schedule area for this week, the Ted one, is better for understanding not just the allegory of the cave, but putting it in some context. Remember that Plato wrote in dialogs, and that Socrates (his teacher) used that method to teach his voluntary students. There was no formal school, just talking. Socrates taught Plato,  Plato taught a guy named Aristotle, and Aristotle taught a guy we call Alexander the Great. Impressive line-up there. Please read the Allegory of the Cave even if it’s slow going for you. Read it through once without stopping, then go back and annotate, ask questions, take your time figuring it out. Then read it one more time through. There’s no way to just zip through it and get much of the meaning that’s there. It’s not that type of material. Please think about and then try to answer these three questions in your posts.
- What do you think Plato is saying here about what we know, and what we think we know?
- Relate the Cave allegory to Malcom X, and his feeling of true freedom.
- Relate the allegory to some aspect of our present-day life.
The message Plato is trying to get across is the majority of individuals are blind to the real truth, and only consume information given to them by people with power over them. There are certain people who have the ability to get out of this mental prison and explore the truth for themselves but when trying to inform others of their ignorance they fail and are met with rejection or hostility. Once this person has a new outlook on life they cannot go back to how they previously viewed things even if they might have preferred being ignorant. This relates to Malcolm X because in his time in jail, he experienced this change with the knowledge he gained from reading. After his alteration, he realized that he has never been “free” and as we look back on Plato’s Allegory he describes most individuals as chained up and I would say that is how Malcolm felt before reading. The Allegory relates to present day life because when it comes to some politicians, they have a mass following and support due people agreeing with them not because what they say is right but because that certain person said it. Others who have a mind to think for themselves or at least find reasoning in their support have found that ability in life.
I am very aware that Plato in his philosophy talks about how people do not see reality and get carried away by what other people tell them or teach them. Many times there are things that we think we know but when we look at reality things are different. I think one way I can connect him to Malcolm is in how in prison he gave himself the opportunity to gain his knowledge by reading. Many people do not take the time necessary to learn things for themselves and depend on the wisdom of other people and many times they NEVER know the true things because since they do not depend on their wisdom they will not know what is true or what is a lie. This connects to the present and I will make the same connection that Christopher made before and that is that many politicians hide things and people only know what they want us to know and many things happen and we are not aware of those things.
Plato brings a great philosophy to life. Plato talks about how people have different perspectives, but most people believe the wrong perspective, in the wrong news, and “wrong teachings” (Elianny). They do not allow themselves to believe and think otherwise. They are being ignorant. People believe in the shadows they see, but do not believe and the object making that shadow. Like in today’s world we see how the news, social media, and other platforms can have an impact on the things we choose to believe. Because not everything on the internet is true. On the other hand, Malcolm X, a wise man that choose to gain knowledge from the many books he read when in prison, not from someone that might have had fake information about something. When Plato returned to the cave, it was hard for him to see the shadow after seeing the truth of what was outside the cave. And when he tried to free the other prisoners, they thought he was stupid and blind. This is what is going on today. We do not know what to believe and when someone is speaking the truth, we think they are being stupid and blind like Plato.
The meaning Plato’s is trying to convey through his writing is that sources through we gain our info both active and passive will create conscious and unconscious prejudice. Like with the men left behind in the cave when someone told them that everything, they knew was fake. A pale reflection of the real world, what could they do but deny it, because it would be more painful to admit that they were wrong. Just as Plato’s teacher,
Socrates, was executed because he asked difficult questions that impeded people’s blissful ignorance. The discovery of the truth, and freedoms connection with knowledge is what Malcolm X experienced in prison. As he gained knowledge, he became aware of the chains that held him down. That same knowledge became key in fighting for the freedom of his people from the system and country that oppressed them. This relates to the ignorance of a child which I have experienced. As children we learn through our environment, and one thing I learned was that America is the greatest country in the world, that I could be anything I wanted, that the sky was the limit. I was later forced to face the reality of the situation. Because of the struggles my family has had to experience, I now know that not all dreams come true.
The message that Plato is trying to get across is that often people are willingly blind or ignorant to the truth. Why? Because if you were to live all your life believing in a certain thing and someone tells you that actually that’s wrong and you’ve been wrong your entire it would hurt and you would feel lied to. Some people won’t go out of their way to admit that they were wrong and actively learn and understand the different perspectives that people have on certain issues. On the other hand once someone has a new outlook or viewpoint on something they are unable go back to how they previously viewed things because they are so set in their ways, such as when the man was freed from the cave and experienced the outside world but as soon as he re-entered the cave he found it difficult to look at the shadows and when he tried to free his friends they attacked him because they thought he was crazy and had been corrupted.
A way I can connect this to Malcolm X is in how in prison he taught himself how to read and write properly and spent his time in prison sharpening his academic skills. Many people in his position wouldn’t take the time necessary to learn how to do these things themselves, instead they would depend on the wisdom of other people to get by.
My opinion of what Plato is saying is that the majority of people are like the prisoners in the cave, living in a world of delusions and false ideas, mistaking sensory for reality. He emphasizes the importance of philosophical inquiry and critical thinking to move beyond the superficial and seek deeper truths about reality. Malcom X’s life and his pursuit of true freedom can be seen as real-life embodiment of the themes explored in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. People are overwhelmed with information in the age of the internet, much of it possibly incorrect, incomplete, or biased. The “cave” can be seen as a symbol for today’s information setting, in which people are often exposed to weak or false representations of reality. It’s vital for people to reflect on the information they come across critically and look for deeper truths than what is immediately obvious, much like in the symbolism.
I think Plato is trying to show us how ignorance and stubbornness are what make us blind from the truth. If what we know is being taught to us don’t be too afraid to explore more or learn more than we know. The things we think we know are just the little things we have been taught. Getting out of your comfort zone shouldn’t be too difficult for you to accept as Plato shows us how the prisoners didn’t accept that there was an outside world because they were too comfortable in their “own world”. This connects to Malcolm X’s story because it gives us an example of exploring your curiosity and finding freedom. Malcolm X had always been told and taught that people like him shouldn’t be reading or gaining any knowledge but he took his opportunity in prison and taught himself. Malcolm X and Plato presented to us to not be gullible and instead explore and gain our own knowledge. The allegory relates to some aspects of our present-day life. One aspect is phones/social media. The stories we hear or see are never the full story. People only show what they want to see but never the bad sides that happen behind the screens. Some people assume their lives are perfect until some parts of their actual life are seen. This shows us in today’s society social media shows something and everyone wants to be like it or act like it instead of being yourself or creating your own life not replicating others. There are many aspects that relate to this allegory which is very sad but we hope to not be too ignorant.
I think Plato conveys a very strong point that people are blind to what is correct. They rather consume false information and be ignorant than except the truth. They allow people who are powerful to control what they think. They are chained both literally and metaphorically. This is shown where the people believed what they were told about the shadow figures rather than the freed prisoner who returned to tell them what they were actually seeing. This allegory by Plato relates to Malcom X by that being a seeker of knowledge he did not allow himself to be chained into information for someone who isn’t credible, rather he chose to read books to educate himself. This allowed him to realize that he was chained down from certain things and information. He became educated on topics allowing him to be the the human rights activist he was. This allegory also relates to our everyday lives. Through Social media, information is being spread out and people consume the information not knowing if its true or not. People allow themself to be convinced by wrong information that they see on social media and go with it not knowing the effects it can have.
Everything we think we know about, we know nothing about. There is always going to be some other factor in that thing that we don’t know. Plato is saying that once you are freed from your mental prison you are able to discover things with an open mind for what they truly are. Knowing the truth can allow you to excel to a higher thought process by inferring even more and drawing conclusions. The truth is difficult to reach but once you start to work towards it you embark on a journey of deeper knowledge. Those who aren’t willing to learn will continue to hide from the truth and retreat to their ignorance. Once you have this new perception of life you won’t be able to regress to your previous way of thinking.
Malcom X can be compared to the man that was set free. He went his whole life being oppressed society and became insecure in his education. While incarcerated he broke of his own shackles by wanting to gain knowledge. He then gained a new perspective on life and his own true potential and decided to share his ideas with others. He gained an intellectual freedom and entered the intelligible realm Plato speaks of. Malcom X is also a person that Plato’s explains that “…their souls are always pressing upwards eager to spend their time above..”
The allegory can be compared nowadays to people who share different beliefs. People with choose to stay ignorant and not learn more because it doesn’t coincide with their truth. You also can’t force these beliefs onto others they would have to be willing to learn and would take information in little by little until learning the whole truth.
What I think Plato is saying here about what we know and what we think we know revolves around perspective. He explains more about the idea of perspective and how the things we see and analyze don’t connect with our understanding which limits people. To be more specific, depending on the perspective we look at things or the faulty information people believe, it can cause them to become very limited and not expand out of their comfort zone. In the reading, Plato states, “You know that when we turn our eyes to things whose colors are no longer in the light of day but in the gloom of night, the eyes are dimmed and seem nearly blind, as if clear vision were no longer in them.” which he then follows up with “Well, understand the soul in the same way: When it focuses on something illuminated by truth and what is, it understands, knows, and possesses understanding, but when it focuses on what is mixed with obscurity, on what comes to be and passes away, it opines and is dimmed, changes its opinions this way and that, and seems bereft of understanding.” I think what Plato is trying to say in the first quote is depending on our perspective, it can have a big impact on understanding. Similar to the prisoners in the cave If your way of gaining knowledge or information is very limited or false, it takes away the truth of reality and the real world. Plato’s message can also be applied to our world now. With the evolution of technology and the increase of social media, propaganda has had a huge impact on how people negatively gain information. False information has become extremely common to the point where people don’t notice it and are constantly being fooled by misleading info. Plato’s message connects to Malcolm X’s story because of the impact of knowledge/information. Malcolm X was extremely limited in gaining knowledge to the point where it could been considered impossible for him to read a book. Malcolm X was truly dedicated to making a change and was able to become extremely intelligent through self-education even while he was in prison. The stories of both Malcolm X and Plato show how being open in life and willing to chase knowledge can be very beneficial and improve people’s lives.
I think what Plato is saying is that we all perceive the world differently but being close minded is what prevents one from thinking beyond their perception. In the video, the man is released from the cave and when he steps outside for the first time ever, he is overwhelmed with the elements of the world. Being in an entirely different environment he had no understanding of the world he was facing. That was until he was taught about plants, and he noticed the shadows of things, his reflection in the water and learned that the sun is the source of all things. The man gained a sense of curiosity and wanted to learn more about his surroundings. When he went back into the cave to tell his friends about his experience, they didn’t want to believe it. Plato’s cave allegory shows how the fear of change can hold one back from succeeding and growing. We live in a society that’s constantly changing and at times it’s hard to keep up. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t capable of understanding new ideas and creations. We often find ourselves making excuses for older generations because they don’t understand the society we live in today and it’s understandable to an extent in the view of the fact that the world is constantly changing but I feel like we shouldn’t except it seeing that they are simply close minded and have succumbed to old ways and ideas. A lot of people prefer ignorance to knowledge, and I feel that is exactly what’s delaying our success as a society. This relates to Malcom X because before he went to prison, he didn’t know the importance of education. I guess running around in the streets he thought he knew everything he needed to know, but in prison he had the realization that he was completely closed off from the world and reading freed him from the chains of ignorance. Even though he was locked up, his mind no longer was.
The allegory can relate to the mental health aspect of outlives because till this day there is so much stigma on mental health especially when it comes to immigrant families. In certain cultures, mental illness isn’t a “real thing” which leads to further damage. I think mental health is a topic people should 100 percent open their minds too because we are all impacted by stress, anxiety, depression, etc.