Allegory Of The Cave Essay

The film ‘The Matrix’ showcases many philosophical perspectives, such as the question of ‘what is reality?’ .Throughout the film character Neo asks the question what is reality, after finding out about the matrix. To help understand Neos’ question we can look at the theory of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave which explores the idea that the real world

Having read the synopsis from The Matrix, the excerpt from Plato, The Republic, Book VII, 514A1-518D8 “The Allegory Of The Cave”, and the excerpt from Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641 “Meditation I Of The Things Of Which We May Doubt”, I am able to conclude that there are similarities as well as differences among these readings. Each question the state of reality in which we live. Is our reality a true state of reality or is it a state of mind we have allowed ourselves to exist in?

People seem to think that everything that happens to them everyday is real. The question is, though, “What is real?”. Is everything you see everyday really real or is it fake? We might see fantasies that other people or machines have created for us. Maybe we are the ones that are not enlightened yet. Numerous essays and films have been produced on this subject. One essay is “The Allegory of the Cave” written by Plato in 360 B.C. Also, the movie The Matrix was filmed in 1999. Even though many differences can be drawn between “The Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix, there are many similarities as well.

In The Matrix, the truth about reality is shown through a computer that is monitoring all the minds of the people to believe the world they are living in is real, when in reality, it is just an illusion that shows a reality that is deluded. Since computers are physical, the dissidents had to use their senses to know about it, see it, and finally destroy it by the end of the movies. In Plato’s cave analogy, our reality is depicted as shadows, only showing that which we are allowed to see. However, he didn’t give a good explanation on how the reality could be real without using senses; he still used the senses to prove how a reality is real. Descartes, in an attempt to explain reality, had to use his senses, such as his brain, mind, and thinking capabilities, to come up with an explanation of reality.

Can you ever imagine living through life completely chained and facing a reality that doesn’t even exist? With there being so many ways to look at the world some people accept what they think is the truth before acquiring more knowledge. That’s what happened with the two different but yet similar stories. The prisoners in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” were blind from true reality as well as the people in the movie “The Matrix” that was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. These stories are good examples of explaining the feature of the way people think. They were both given false images and they accepted what their senses were telling them, they also believed what they were experiencing was all that really existed. Plato wrote “The Allegory of the Cave”, to explain the process of enlightenment and what true reality

One of which is reality and the other is the deceptive Matrix. There is a minimum amount of beings who know about the truth of the real world like Dozer, Cypher, and Trinity (etc). Morpheus, the leader of the clan who experienced the real world told Neo who was an ordinary man at the time that, “The Matrix is the world pulled over your eyes to prevent you from seeing the truth.” He is referring to the truth of the real world. Many people rather swim in a pool of lies than go out of their way to find the truth.

Both Plato’s Cave Allegory and the matrix discuss the topic of truth and illusion. In both of the story it was established that we humans live in the darkness, an illusion which is merely the shadow of the truth. However, once in a while a person will wake up from the illusory dream and realized the cold hard truth of reality. Should that person overjoyed of the fact that he or she discovered the truth or should that person weep in sorrow since he or she can no longer go back and continuing living in the shadow? In both Plat’s Cave Allegory and the matrix those who were thrown out of their illusions into the cold hard truth end up having to deal with the consequence that comes from realizing it. Whether it is becoming a social outcast,

The “Allegory of the Cave,” written by Plato, is a portrayal of how people can be blind to reality. In this allegory men are chained up their entire lives in a cave. These men can only see the shadows of objects and people passing behind them, therefore these men believe only what they see and what they know. When one prisoner however, is let free, it takes time for him to get used to the outside world and the sun. Just as people have their own opinions and knowledge of reality it does not mean they are true.

Great philosophers such as Plato, Socrates and Descartes developed theories thousands of years ago which changed the thought processes of many. These theories today are still influencing the lives of others. The Matrix, a very well-known movie released in 1999, retelling Plato’s theory, questioned the existence of reality and /or what we perceive as reality. The Matrix, Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’ and Descartes ‘Meditation I’, all have similar views on reality, illusion and truth.

However life is perceived, there will always be an underlying truth to every reality. Whether society refuses to accept the truth or not is all dependent on the individual. However difficult it might be to differentiate illusion from reality, there will always be a way to to tell the two apart. Exploring issues of reality and the illusions that can dominate a life, The Matrix and The Black Cat use darkening imagery to suggest that the world in which we live should not be accepted blindly.

Beginning in the Phaedo Socrates said, “There is the explanation that is put in the language of mysteries, that we men are in a kind of prison, and that one must not free oneself or run away.” (Phaedo pg. 101.) In this quotation, Socrates speaks explicitly about the prison of the mind. This is the beginning of the allegory of the cave. The allegory of the cave is that man is trapped in a false reality, but since the imitation of reality and the false reality is all that man is exposed to, they believe that it is actual reality.

In real life, the cave symbolizes an individual 's community. These prisoners have no other experience, besides what they see and know from their own experience, which is very similar to individuals who stay in their own communities and never venture beyond to see what else is out in the world. From this, a person will always feel “confident about personal experience” , however “unfortunately this confidence can cause us to attach greater significance and universality to particular events than they deserve” (Ruggiero 73). Just like the prisoners, people rely heavily on their own personal experience to be the source of knowledge for what is around. However, similar to the prisoners, there is no guarantee that what is being seen is the truth of the human experience. This is because humans “engage in a complex process which draws on the behavior, knowledge, and skills...of the world we live in” (Baud & Miller). This idea further exemplifies how the mind is only aware of what it is exposed it to due to the unique personal experience. Plato successfully demonstrates the awareness of the mind with human experiences through the metaphor of a cave in Allegory of the Cave.

Have you ever felt so trapped in a small space you began to lose your mind? In Plato’s short story, “Allegory of the Cave,” the author uses allegory as a means to justify that the world is a reflection of more perfect and ideal forms. As the story begins, Plato’s teacher, Socrates, presents a world of alternate reality to Plato’s brother Glaucon by telling him to imagine a cave full of prisoner’s who have been chained their entire lives. The shadows, voices, and figures given to them by the puppeteers on the wall have constructed the only reality the prisoners have ever known. Those few interpretations lead the prisoners to believe the shadows are real. To the prisoners, they must be real because that is all they have ever seen, heard, or known. The cave is used as a means to open peoples eyes to the world we live in and to not blindly walk through life living by the rules of our puppeteers. As children we are the prisoners hidden in the cave or chained to the society defined by the media, government, educational systems, and many other constructs we do not even question. Our knowledge of reality, truth, and education will always be limited by our fears of puppeteers, new ideas, and radical perspectives unless we break free from what is holding us back. Just like the prisoners locked in their caves, we must seek enlightenment beyond the illusions instilled upon us.

The Allegory of the Cave or also known as, Myth of the Cave, is a good example of explaining the feature of the way people think. It is a concept that demonstrates how humans are fearful of change and what they don’t know. Plato says that men are living in an underground cave and it is a situation. The Allegory of the Cave is Plato's explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. Plato talks about being free, everyday life, knowledge, and essentially what he wrote to be true. I think that he was very unique with his writings because there are so many ways to look at the world and his way was just one. He was educated highly and is recognized as a philosopher to this day.

“Allegory of the Cave”, written by Plato, is story that contrasts the differences between what is real and what is perceived. He opens with Glaucon talking to Socrates. He has Glaucon imagine what it would be like to be chained down in a cave, not able to see anything other than what is in front of him. He tells a story of men that were trapped in a cave and were prisoners to the truth. These prisoners have only seen shadows. But because of their ignorance, these slaves to the cave believe that the shadows are real. The story goes on to say that one of the men has been dragged out of the cave. He is not happy to see the real world, yet upset because he is being taken