Allegory Of The Cave Response

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The majority of people respond to the unknown with fear and anxiety. But why is that so? Fear of the unknown is actually an instinctual human response. This survival mechanism can be a helpful tool in avoiding danger in unfamiliar environments. Past experiences, societal expectations, and cultural backgrounds can also contribute to this fear. However, this fear can also be harmful, since it can lead to the resistance to change and the refusal to accept new truths and alternative perspectives. Plato, a Greek philosopher, believed that people are born into ignorance and need to be brought to the truth through philosophy and education. In addition, he believed that few people would ever come to know the truth because of resistance to new perspectives. …show more content…

The Allegory of the Cave focuses on the changing perspective of a prisoner who realizes that there is more to the real world than just shadows. In this allegory, prisoners are kept in a cave and are only able to see images produced by shadows. One of the prisoners is freed and he realizes that what he saw in the cave were just shadows, not real objects. But when he returns to the cave to tell his fellow prisoners, they resist his knowledge and refuse to accept it. The Allegory of the Cave is meant to represent how the ignorant will respond to enlightenment. This is made clear to the reader as Plato begins the allegory with the words, “And now, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened.” As well, the cave in this allegory represents ignorance, and the fire used to cast the shadows onto the walls of the cave …show more content…

Therefore, it is clear that the prisoners’ refusal to accept the reality that the shadows they saw were only silhouettes of actual objects represent the human tendency to reject truths and realities that are beyond familiar experience. I have also experienced this tendency to reject truth and reality. It happened when my grandfather passed away suddenly on July 31st, 2023. My family suddenly got a call from my uncle while we were out camping, informing us about our grandfather’s passing. None of it felt real. After all, my grandfather sent a text message to my aunt wishing her a happy birthday and another congratulatory text to my parents for their 19th marriage anniversary, just a few hours before the call. I just could not believe it. Later, when my family flew down to Galveston for the viewing and the funeral, I knew that it had to be true. But right after the phone

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