Crizoe L.

Rodillo INTFILO Ek
11417072

1. In the allegory, who do you think the prisoners stand for? What about the one
who escapes? Compare and contrast the world inside and outside the cave. What
do you think these symbolize?

In the allegory, the prisoners represents us human being who are

trapped inside a cave. The cave may symbolize the things that hinders us to
see the reality around us. The prisoners represent the people who set their
eyes upon things which are already been set as a norm, things that has been
presented to them throughout their lives. They tend to neglect the importance
of discovering new things like how these shadows is being projected.

For the escaped prisoner, it symbolizes a person that has discovered

and accepted the reality that is set around him or her. It is similar to
philosopher because the escaped prisoner because he or she wants to find out
what is beyond the cave. It shows that the escaped prisoner has been educated
about reality and he wants to share it.

Inside the cave, the prisoners named the projection that has been set
upon them. For the prisoners, the shadow is their reality because they were
raised and taught everything about they know inside the cave. However, the
outside world depicts the reality of the shadows. The outside world give the
full picture of the reality around them, which the prisoners were unable to see.

2. Quote passages from the text which mention eyesight and our perception of light.
What do you think these allegorical elements indicate about the Platonic view of
reality, and how we can come to know such reality?

When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not
be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.

He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world.

And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other
objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon
the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see
the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by
day?

At first, when we are accustomed on the things that we believe in, we

tend to neglect the truth that is set upon our eyes. Even though we have seen

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 it, we avoid to accept it because it is against our beliefs. However, little by little,
when we continue to look on the reality of things, we tend to grasp the truth
and little by little we will see the true form of that reality.

3. Socrates also talks about the well-ordered State and how future rulers ought to
be educated. Describe this education. What subjects must they study?

Socrates describes that the guardians of the republic should be

educated in order to not be in the same state of the prisoners stated in the
allegory. The importance of education is to set people in discovery and finding
out the reality of this world rather than being fixated on the shadows that is
set upon them.

The guardians should also focus on studying subject like mathematics

and dialectic because they focus on understanding what is true. Math focuses
on the things that can be seen and with this, reason will be deduced. In
dialectic, it focuses on reasoning without using the physical senses

4. Based on your answer in no. 3, what sort of knowledge does Socrates value?
Contrast this with his views about the body or the senses. Support your answer
with quotes from the text.

The knowledge that Socrates value is the knowledge of the Good. The
importance of the senses is that it is used for understanding the things around
us. Once we learn to understand the things around us, we tend to learn and
understand everything.

These, I said, are the points which you must consider; and those who
have most of this comprehension, and who are more steadfast in their
learning, and in their military and other appointed duties, when they have
arrived at the age of thirty have to be chosen by you out of the select class, and
elevated to higher honour; and you will have to prove them by the help of
dialectic, in order to learn which of them is able to give up the use of sight and
the other senses, and in company with truth to attain absolute being: And here,
my friend, great caution is required.