Plato’s philosophical works show a link between perception and reality in human beings.
Most of the items discussed in the Allegory provide the readers with a better understanding of how they correspond to their lives. After a close oversight of what Plato plots out in his discussion, one tends to understand the different perspectives he aimed to expose. The Allegory of the Cave talks about a group of people who lived their entire lives in caves. All through their lifetime, they did not know about the light, and their exposure to fire and sculptures created by another group opened up their minds to new discoveries. Using the interpretations and symbols, Plato seeks to establish the different items that limit a person’s thoughts and perspectives.
The theory uses different perceptions to bring out the pieces in life that surround human beings. The Divided Line shows the difference between people who see the truth as it is and those that live in an imaginary world. The cave houses three prisoners tied to rocks in such a way that they cannot see anything else apart from the cave’s walls (Trumpeter par 2). Meanwhile, a fire exists behind the prisoners, and a walkway exists them. The people walking along the walkway carry items on their head like plants, animals, and stone. The prisoners can only see the shadows produced but cannot comprehend what they are as they have never seen them in real life.
The prisoners begin a game of guessing what each shadow represents despite their lack of knowledge. However, one of them escapes the chains and goes outside the cave (Trumpeter par 4). From there, his eyes opens up to a new world that he has never seen. He then recalls the shadows he saw and draws a conclusion that all he thought previously was wrong. He returns to the cave to inform the other prisoners what he saw. He described the shadows and what each meant or represented. However, the others denied his thoughts and threatened to kill him after he said that he would free them. They stuck to their thoughts as they believed in them.
The key distinction Plato aims to show in the theory is the perception and thoughts people have about something before they experience it. Most of the time people air in their views as per what they feel about it but after the exposure, their thoughts tend to change since they can see the clear picture. However, not everyone shares the same sentiment or would like to change their analogies. People like to confine in what their thoughts and perceptions since that is what they know since the beginning of life. Such people have little regards when it comes to making their lives better or learning new ways. They have the fear of changing their lives even if it is to make them better in their worlds.
One can interpret these analogies to the leadership of most countries, companies, and societies. The old generation tends to hold executive positions in these institutions and would like to lead it as they wish. The young generation, on the other hand, has vibrant ideas and technology that would benefit the organizations greatly. Despite the chance to air their thoughts and discoveries, most of the ideas fall on deaf ears. The old generation tends to turn a deaf ear to these sentiments with the excuse of knowing what is right for the organization as they have better experiences than the young ones.
These excuses are the reason some countries and societies tend to lag behind in development. The executives tend to stick to one perception of life and rule as per their thoughts. In a way, they act as dictators to these organizations though they provide people with a chance of airing their suggestions. The main reason behind their refusal to implement the suggestions is the fear of becoming irrelevant. Accommodating new ideas will render them useless to the community; a statement that is not true. The prisoners did not want to be free because they wanted to believe in their analogies. They prefer staying in the dark instead of learning new things that life has to offer.
There are several examples in my life that relate to the Allegory of the Cave. Most of these examples occur during childhood as reality dawns into our lives. As a child, I grew up with the perception that Santa Clause was real, and he was responsible for my Christmas gifts. However, interacting with other age mates in kindergarten brought a different perspective. Some of the children said such things do not exist, and they are just pigments of imagination instilled in us. After asking my parents, they said that was a lie, and they confirmed it using storybooks. Hence, I was caught up in a dilemma on who was telling the truth. One day I chose to wait for Santa to arrive on Christmas and that is when I realized it was my parents. In relation to the theory, the cave is the childhood memory, and the perception that I grew up with that shielded me from reality. The other prisoners are my parents and books then the shadows refer to the imaginations. The escape from the cave is going to school where I saw the truth behind the Santa Clause lie. In conclusion, most of the thoughts people hold onto are the things that hinder progress and acceptance.
The relationship between the quote and Plato’s work revolves around the two main characters: those that accept change and those that stick to what they believe. The prisoner who escaped had a desire to know what lies ahead in life. His escape opened him to new discoveries and broke the ties towards objective facts. The desire to conform opens up one’s mind to accept new changes and acknowledge that everything in life has to evolve. That is the only way people can progress in their work and way of life.
Work Cited
Trumpeter, Amy. The Allegory of The Cave By Plato: Summary and Meaning. 21 September 2012. Web. 16 February 2016. < http://www.philosophyzer.com/the-allegory-of-the-cave-by-plato-summary-and-meaning/ >
