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REPUBLIC

REPUBLIC. Allegory of the Cave. Purpose. The purpose of the allegory of the cave is explain the nature of education as it relates to the nature of human beings. The Cave. The description of the cave and the prisoners in the cave are important.

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  1. REPUBLIC Allegory of the Cave

  2. Purpose • The purpose of the allegory of the cave is explain the nature of education as it relates to the nature of human beings.

  3. The Cave • The description of the cave and the prisoners in the cave are important. • First, the prisoners in the cave are chained and cannot move. Even their heads are fixed so that their eyes are facing the cave. • Behind them there is a fire. • In between the fire and their backs, objects move from one side to the next.

  4. The Cave • The prisoners only see the shadows on the wall; they never get to see the objects that make the shadows. • The prisoners do not know that they are seeing shadows; they are not aware of their condition; they are not aware that they are chained or that what they see are not the REAL objects. • The prisoners believe that the shadows are real and that the shadows are the only reality.

  5. Freed Prisoner • Imagine that one of the prisoners is freed and that he is able to leave the case. • Socrates says that the way out is “ROUGH AND STEEP” • The person would probably not want to go and he might need to be forced out.

  6. Outside the Cave • Once outside the cave life would be difficult because the bright light would BLIND the recently freed prisoner. • The bright light might be painful and the person’s vision would be very bad at first. • It would take much time for the person to adapt to the new environment.

  7. Outside the cave • After the person’s eyes have adapted to its new environment, she will be thrilled to see the world outside the cave. • She can now appreciate the day light and the REAL things outside. • Eventually, the person will come to know that the SUN is that which provides the light that illuminates the world outside the cave and allows her to see everything that is REAL.

  8. SUN • The sun is the source of all light that permits her eyes to see the objects outside the cave. • However, she will not be able to look into the sun because it will be too bright. • But she might be able to see the reflection of the sun.

  9. Analogy • INSIDE the cave represents the VISIBLE world. • OUTSIDE the cave represents the INVISIBLE world. • The PRISNORS represent the LOVERS OF SIGHT AND THE BODY. • The FREED PRISONER represents the person leaving the world of senses and entering into the world of pure thought.

  10. Analogy • The SHADOWS represent the PHYSICAL WORLD. • The THINGS OUTSIDE THE CAVE represent the THE FORMS in the intelligible world. • The SUN presents the GOOD • The EYES OF THE PRISONERS represent the MIND and FACULTITIES.

  11. Analogy: Education • Plato argues that the freed prisoners is more in touch with reality in the outside world than the prisoner in the cave. • However, both have the same eyesight. It is not that the freed prisoner sees better; but rather that the freed prisoner is looking at the proper things while the prisoner is looking at shadows.

  12. Analogy: Education • The lesson to be drawn from this, with respect to educating people, is that we do not teach people by increasing their intellectual powers, but rather by pointing them or guiding them in the right direction. • To teach is expose people to the proper objects, it is NOT that we infuse them with information. • We cannot see for them; they must see for themselves.

  13. Prisoner • The idea that the people in the cave are prisoners and are chained up tells us that it is not easy to escape the pleasures and temptation's of the body. • Moreover, the idea that the road that leads to outside the cave is rough and steep, tells us that the path to of ignoring our bodies and its desires is not an easy one. • We are prisoners chained to our bodies.

  14. Value of the Shadows • Those who have been freed and seen outside the cave will realize that the shadows are worthless and have little to do with reality. • Therefore, materialism, reputation and honors, which are all based on the shadows are worthless.

  15. Value of the Outside World • Reality and truth is outside the cave. • The freed prisoner will never want to return to the cave and will give no importance to things that the prisoners do. • He will not care for material things, wealth or anything related to these things.

  16. The Duty of the Philosophy • Plato believe the philosopher is the prisoner who has freed himself and has seen the difference between the visible and invisible world. • The difference between beautiful things and beauty itself. • The philosopher’s duty is to return to the cave and help others free themselves. The philosopher must go back even if he does not want to.

  17. Philosopher’s Duty and Risks • The task of telling people that what they think is real is not is a dangerous one. • Plato predicts that the philosopher has a good chance of being rejected and of being executed. • Plato was probably referring to Socrates. • People will not like to be told that everything they value, have lived for, their honors, reputation and wealth is in reality worthless.

  18. Plato’s Metaphysics • Plato’s metaphysics is portrayed in the allegory of the cave. • The invisible world represents the world of the Forms. • The forms represent the absolutes, where we find absolute justice, good, beauty, etc. • This is the world of being; the world of permanent, necessary, immutable, perfect and pure ideas.

  19. Plato’s Metaphysics • The cave represents the world of becoming, the material world where everything is in flux, changing, impure, undefined. • The world of the senses and the body.

  20. Plato’s Epistemology • For Plato knowledge is knowledge of the Forms. • To know is to know the Forms, and the forms can only be known in the invisible world. • Empirical knowledge can only give has shadows or resemblances of the truth.

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