2006-11-30 13:47:29 · 6 answers · asked by Red Dragon 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
This was Plato's philosophy. Okay, brace yourself.
Firstly, to understand the philosophy, you need to be familiar with Plato's Theory of Forms. The Theory says that Forms (i.e. Justice, Love, and Beauty) are perfect, whereas examples of these forms that our senses perceive, are not. For example, a beach ball is an impefect copy of a sphere (a universal Form).
The Allegory of the Cave describes a group of mortals in an underground chamber (symbolizes psyche within human body). These mortals are only able to see shadows on the walls of the cave ("imperfect and perishable imitations of the Forms that occupy the world of the senses"). The prisoners think these shadows are real.
The philosophy illustrates IDEALISM ("reality lies in the realm of unchanging Forms," rather than in what our senses perceive) and DUALISM (mind vs. body).
2006-11-30 15:27:58 · answer #1 · answered by jaded1004 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Jade1004, Plato's cave is an example that humans are in a cave chained together and can only look ahead at a wall. behind them is a fire casting light and therefore shadow on the wall. the prisoners can only see forms cast in shadow of themselves and their keepers, one day a prisoner escapes the cave and escapes into 'reality', ever heard the phrase, "I have seen the light", the prisoner goes back to the cave and says hey there is a whole other world out there that is nothing like this but nobody believes him. I think for myself it means that we are often stuck in our own reality and believe it to be true and do not wish that to be altered leading to our disbelief or disillusionment. The Matrix analogy is also good, imagine if someone came to you today and said hey there is a whole other world out there that you don't know about or cannot see, sometimes referred to as the brain in the vat theory, you would not be very likely to believe them. The question you need to ask yourself is would you take the red pill or the blue. pill.
2006-12-01 04:34:04 · answer #2 · answered by bjstanfordau 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Plato's allegory of the cave describes the quest for TRUTH. and what is really true? The people stuck in the cave think the illusions on the wall are truth but really, they need the drive to search for truth only through their intelligence, which is outside. It also explains what happens when people are faced with truth, they would be in total shock.
2006-12-01 15:04:00 · answer #3 · answered by tee 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aristotle does not have the allegory of the cave.
But Plato does. See the 'Republic' for details.
2006-11-30 22:12:51 · answer #4 · answered by ? 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
something about when you are stuck in a cave then shadows on the wall of the cave become your reality. yeah plato was probably the first to put it down in writing. our modern version is the matrix.
2006-11-30 23:19:22 · answer #5 · answered by edward x 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The movie The Matrix is alludes to it heavily. Just google it and read a little. It's not long.
2006-11-30 21:51:32 · answer #6 · answered by eagleperch 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋