Kevin Bergstraesser

September 26, 2014

Discussion Paper: Week 11

Platos analogy of the cave is widely considered to be one of the most

renowned metaphors in modern philosophy. The analogy fundamentally describes
the ascension from simple imagination to holistic knowledge of anything and
everything. It begins with a prisoner chained to the ground and facing a wall of the
cave. A fire is lit towards the rear of the cave, and other people hold puppets on a
raised road behind it in order to convey shadowy images on the wall in front of the
prisoners. These silhouettes are the only things that the prisoners have ever known,
so they believe that there is nothing more beyond shadows on a cave wall.
Eventually, a prisoner breaks free from the chains, seeing that puppets held behind
a fire are what created the shadows. This prisoner now perceives this to be reality,
but is still unable to grasp the concept of anything existing beyond what is in the
cave. He is then dragged out of the cave and exposed to a world beyond the cave,
one that was originally incomprehensible to the man. Once he reaches the place
outside of the cave, he is transformed from a prisoner into a liberated person. The
intense light dazzles the man and he can only see reflections coming from a nearby
pool of water. Once his eyes acclimate to the sunlight, he is introduced to the
surroundings of the outside world. One of the most essential purposes of this
analogy is to express the evolution of knowledge within a person. As the man
progresses from the cave to the outside realm, he first experiences imagination, then
belief, then thought, and finally knowledge. Plato perceives these four steps to be
the process of education.
Apart from the development of education, the cave analogy illustrates a
variety of other important concepts. One of the deepest and most controversial
lessons I believe can be taught from this metaphor is the idea of what lies beyond
our universe. My perspective on the matter is that no one on this planet has
achieved anything close to complete knowledge. In terms of Platos metaphor, I
believe that many intelligent people have made it out of the hypothetical cave, but
have not been able to fully observe their surroundings. The reasoning for this view
is that no one has any knowledge of what exists past the universe. Geniuses such as
Einstein, Newton, and Copernicus have uncovered the foundations of quantum
physics and the mechanics of how our universe operates. None of these great men,
however, were ever able to scientifically explain what happens after our universe
ends and we enter what many consider to be the multiverse. Perhaps, no one ever
will have the mental capacity to justify this phenomenon.
I agree with Plato in his theory that a wholesome philosopher-king has
attained full understanding, but only pertaining to the Form of the Good. Plato never
states that these men have universal knowledge. Therefore, when applying the cave
analogy to modern day society, I dont believe anyone has transcended the barrier
between thought and knowledge when relating it to the operations of our universe.