Essay about Platos The Allegory of the Cave - 818 Words

Platos The Allegory of the Cave In Plato’s â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave,† he suggests that there are two different forms of vision, a â€Å"mind’s eye† and a â€Å"bodily eye.† The â€Å"bodily eye† is a metaphor for the senses. While inside the cave, the prisoners function only with this eye. The â€Å"mind’s eye† is a higher level of thinking, and is mobilized only when the prisoner is released into the outside world. This eye does not exist within the cave; it only exists in the real, perfect world. The â€Å"bodily eye† relies on sensory perceptions about the world in order to determine what is reality. Metaphorically speaking, the cave is a physical world filled with imperfect images. This world is filled with distorted images about reality. Inside†¦show more content†¦There is a concrete difference between the two eyes discussed by Plato. The â€Å"bodily eye† lives in the distorted world of sense perceptions; the imperfect world which people experience with their physical senses. In the cave, there were â€Å"men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials† (278). The shadows of these objects were considered reality to the prisoners, but in actual fact they were just distorted images. The â€Å"mind’s eye† sees in the perfect world, a spiritual realm. It sees beyond the world of sensory perception. Perfect reality is described when the prisoner comes into the light and sees the â€Å"light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven.† These moons and stars make up the real world that only the â€Å"mind’s eye† is able to see. By using the same word, â€Å"eye,† to refer to both, Plato is suggesting that there is a connection between the two. Both eyes are used to perceive what is supposed to be reality, but the two see completely different worlds. For instance, inside the cave the prisoner uses his â€Å"bodily eye† to see the world of shadow â€Å"puppets†. He truly believes that these shadows are complete reality because his â€Å"bodily eye† tells him so. When he is released from the cave, he uses his â€Å"mind’s eye† to see the sun, moon, stars, and water. It is then that he realizes that these objects are true reality. The â€Å"bodily eye† sees the imperfect world, andShow MoreRelatedPlatos Allegory of the Cave1521 Words   |  7 PagesPlato’s Allegory of the Cave Essay One of Plato’s more famous writings, The Allegory of the Cave, Plato outlines the story of a man who breaks free of his constraints and comes to learn of new ideas and levels of thought that exist outside of the human level of thinking. However, after having learned so many new concepts, he returns to his fellow beings and attempts to reveal his findings but is rejected and threatened with death. This dialogue is an apparent reference to his teacher’s theoriesRead MorePlatos Allegory of The Cave752 Words   |  3 Pagesinterpreting Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave’’ in which is a representation that described a narrative of the society of people in before Christ years. I realized how there was a major comparison of people in today’s society that reflected the same prisoner traits as the prisoners that were described in the dialogue. According to the Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† It described conditions of people chain ed at birth unable to function as independent individuals that were locked in a protracted dark cave. TheyRead MoreAnalysis Of Platos Allegory Of The Cave864 Words   |  4 PagesOn the surface of Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† it is just a simple piece, but the main purpose of the piece is to explain people living in a world of face value and having individuals break free from the main idea to create a new sense of what the world is truly about. 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