Micro-Activity # 4: Allegory of the Cave

Based on the idea of education that Plato presents in this reading is very interesting to say the least. Within the story there are several roles given for an individual to examine that are led to be perceived as the student and the teacher. I do believe there are roles that can be described as “student” and “teacher” with the way the author phases his wording as well as presents his statements to the “student” figure. There are certain traits that differentiate students from teachers in a job sense or in a more educational sense. Students learn from their teachers years of experience in whichever field of study they are studying in. Teachers are a different case all together, there are plenty of teachers that have vast knowledge in more than one area and choose to teach the students 1 specific area of study based on the class they teach. Although both teachers and students alike learn from one another regardless of what they are learning or teaching. The idea of education as Plato presents it allows the reader to learn of both sides in an argument rather than focus on a fixed perspective of 1 person. Gathering information to represent the various possibilities. In Allegory of the Cave both roles are put into perspective. As things occur around the people chained in the cave they learn from these things which creates a sense of how the students learn. As for the passengers passing by they develop and pass along their information on the way through the cave whether it be through their shadows or conversation they teach those chained in the cave of the world outside of the cave.

I believe the purpose of education is to help inform, to help educate and give the sufficient amount of information and knowledge to those seeking to know of the unknown. To those wanting to understand the facts of any historical event, circumstance or moment in time that isn’t explicitly given the right amounts of information to explain a fact. Education can be used in various settings for various amounts of purposes including getting a job, going to a certain school, or getting that promotion you wanted at a job. Plato uses the idea of education and compares it to the different set of lenses or eyes we see the knowledge we learn of with. In his ideology he finds that there are a multitude of means in which someone can  explore their options in an educational setting. There is nothing wrong with his ideology, I wholeheartedly agree with what he is saying, he further explains that education’s purpose and craft is to turn around the soul of a being. Which is true, having the knowledge of any means that you prefer allows you to look at many things differently with more of a purpose rather than as just a tool. However not everyone can say the same for what education has done for them internally. Many haven’t had that much of a change of heart when learning of new found information.