Comparing Plato's Allegory Of The Cave And The Bible

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance” –George Bernard Shaw. The bodies politic in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and the Bible, the Commonwealth and Israelites, both have shallow beliefs and believe what they know to be true. The Platonic Prisoner, from Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, and Moses, from the Book of Exodus in the Bible, both attempt to influence others with their newfound knowledge and wisdom because they feel the obligation to do so.They end up with different overall responses from their body politic as their relationships undergo change. For relationships to function, the bodies politic need to trust each other as well as courage. Relationship also need perseverance to last.
Before relationships begin to develop, each of the protagonists are in different positions. Moses is born a Hebrew, but growing up he is considered an Egyptian. When Moses flees to Midian and saves the

flocks, the girl returns home and tells her father, “ An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds” (Exodus 2:19). Egyptians see themselves as superior to the Hebrews, so he is conflicted internally. The first encounter with adult Moses and the other Hebrews show the rocky relationship between the two. For example, when Moses asks why the two Hebrew are fighting, one responds, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14). The Hebrew, his own kind, see him as an Egyptian. They are unwilling to connect with him and accept him. On contrast, the Platonic Prisoner is one of the fellow slaves in the cave until he breaks free. In the passage, it states,“They are like ourselves. They see nothing of themselves but their own shadows, or one another’s, which the fire throws on the wall of the cave” (Plato 123). “They” refers to all the prisoners are equals where no one is superior to other. None of the prisoners are actually able to see each other, other than their shadows on the walls, so they live in coexistence without a problem due to their lack of physical contact.
The Platonic Prisoner and Moses believe it is their responsibility to help those that relate to them and to influence those around them. For example, the Platonic Prisoner “now went back in his mind to where he was living before, and to what his brother slaves took to be wisdom there, wouldn’t he be happy at the change and pity them?” (Plato 124). The Platonic Prisoner is sympathetic towards the Commonwealth because they don’t get to experience true wisdom. He understands that the cave is limiting their knowledge and wisdom. Consequently, he feels as if he must lead them effectively. Similarly, Moses emphasizes, “the people come to me to seek God’s will” (Exodus 18:15). God is borrowing the voice of Moses to communicate with the Israelites. The source of Moses’s obligation comes from God because God is the one that wants him to lead the Israelites.
The protagonists try to share wisdom and knowledge that their bodies politic are not willing to accept. For example, in the Bible, “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9). The Israelites do not understand that Moses is only trying to benefit them. They refuse to consent to his word even though it is the word of God. Another example, in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates states, “and If there were to be a competition then with the prisoners who had never moved out and he had to do his best in judging the shadows before his eyes got used to the dark - which needs more than a minute - wouldn’t he be laughed at?” (Plato 125), as the reaction of the Commonwealth. The men laugh at the Platonic Prisoner because they don’t want to accept this new knowledge.
These leaders could always leave if they wanted to but they choose not to. In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, Socrates states “…if you take the what out and that looking upon things of the upper world as the going up of the soul to the field of true thought, you will have my hopes and beliefs about it and they are what you desire… When we see it we see that it is truly the cause, for all things, of all that is beautiful and right” (Plato 125). In these two separate sentences, it shows that by leading the Platonic Prisoners’ brother slaves to the “field of true thought”, also known as “outside of the cave”, they will have what is actually beautiful and right. The Platonic Prisoner doesn’t leave him fellow prisoners behind because he wants them to be able to experience this true beauty. Throughout the Book of Exodus, there is the constant use of “your descendants”, which makes Moses feel as if he is finally considered a Hebrew. He feels like he has to help his own kind and lead them to a better life. The Hebrew are unhappy in Egypt and Moses is willing to lead them out of their misery. He doesn’t want to do things halfway, but instead, he wants to exceed the standard of God.
As relationships develop, Moses becomes a fatherly figure for the Israelites. When Moses finds the Israelites worshipping a golden calf after he descends from Mount Sinai, he burns it to the ground. He, then follows by begging God, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin – but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written” (Exodus 32:31-32). Moses is begging for God’s forgiveness on behalf of the Israelites, even though he has no part in their sin. This quote reveals that Moses is willing to take responsibility for the actions that the Israelites commit and doesn’t mind if he has to take the blame. Moses understands that the Israelites don’t know any better. Everyday, Moses sits through disputes brought upon him by the Israelites (Exodus 18:16). In doing so, he is similar to a father who solves silly arguments between two children. The Israelites don’t know how to solve their own disputes, so they rely on Moses. As for the Platonic Prisoner, he has a far different relationship with the Commonwealth. When Socrates says, “And if they were able to get their hands on the man who attempted to take their chains off and guide them up, wouldn’t they put him to death?” (Plato 125). The Commonwealth wants to diminish their fear of the unknown because they feel threatened. They are only comfortable with what they currently know. They do not want to make any changes to their life. They want to get rid of him.
In conclusion, the protagonists feel the need to share their newfound wisdom and knowledge with their respective body politic.

However, they deny the protagonists because they are insecure, afraid of the unknown and are too ignorant to understand. For Moses, he is able to watch over the Israelites and become a parental figure for them. Meanwhile, for the Platonic Prisoner, the Commonwealth attempts to kill him and rid of his unpalatable truth. In the beginning, the Israelites and Commonwealth are rejecting and denying the truth. By the end of both stories, the Israelites are accepting towards Moses and his sayings from God. As for the Commonwealth, they are still unwilling to listen and want to continue their trail of denial. Relationships are like a two-way street and they must be built on trust. Though, to start a relationship, it takes courage. Courage is what will give the will of people to even think about starting a relationship. Perseverance is needed to ensure that the relationship will get through rough times, even though it might be

hard.