Question

The three question response posts must have a minimum of 200 words each and must directly quote and properly cite (using MLA format) from the assigned textbook readings.

1. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?

2. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

3. What sometimes happens to people when the illusion is shattered and reality is revealed? Can you give an example from your own or a friend’s experience?

Answer 1

1. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?

Process of Enlightenment or Education

The famous philosopher Plato suggested that '' Everyone have the capacity to learn in their soul or mind,when they were born.'' Plato also suggested that learning something is a very difficult thing, we have to keep patience because it takes a lot of times and lot of efforts.

It suggests that school always a limitation of the knowledge. We must increase our knowledge by this whole wide world. We need to know unknown things or hidden things to reach the ultimate process of Enlightenment.

''Facing reality or facing problem is very essential to know the actual meaning of life and to live a better life''. This is also a part of Enlightenment, Suggested by the Allegory.

Not only that this also suggests that knowing is always better than not knowing. So we must need to motivate ourself to learn something new.

The Allegory also suggested that sharing our knowledge is very important in the education or Enlightenment process. Because ,we can enhance our skills and knowledge by sharing our knowledge.Not only that we can bring some transformation to an another person just by sharing our knowledge or experience.This helps to the enlightenment process and motivates other people.

As example

According to Allegory, when a prisoner becomes enlightened, he will share his thoughts and experiences to the other prisoner and this will inspire other prisoners to find the way of learning.

2. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree because in the myth of the cave, the anthropological dimension refers to the condition of the human being, and his way of knowing. This dimension is represented in the nature of the prisoner and his body, his relationship with the cave (the sensible world), as well as in the outside world and the liberation of his soul (the world of ideas).

Prisoners are a metaphor for people who are tied to their perceptions and the images presented to them. The shadows are the physical world they perceive and which they believe is the true knowledge. However, what they observe inside is only subjective knowledge.

When one of the prisoners is released from his chains and comes out of the cave, this journey represents his ascension into the intelligible world, where he acquires true knowledge.

This implies a moral and intellectual liberation of the soul from the bonds and limitations offered by the sentient world. His ascent from the interior of the cave is a metaphor for his passage from ignorance to the world of ideas. This passage, according to Plato, can be made with the practice of the dialectic method.

Moreover, this ascent to the world of ideas is a search for self-knowledge in the outside world (as expressed in the phrase "know thyself").

Explanation:

It has been popular wisdom that has been able to distinguish the real from the apparent, with phrases as expressive as "all that glitters is not gold" or "appearances deceive".

However, sometimes appearance is used to reaffirm reality or act as a guarantee of it. This is what happens when, when speaking of Caesar's wife, it is said that "in addition to being honest, she must appear so". In all these cases, whether it is to reject appearance or to support reality, reality is always put in the pre-eminent place it deserves.

Psychologically, to appear is to appear or present the person as having conditions, faculties or means and resources superior to those of his social, professional or economic status, with the intention of dazzling others or awakening their admiration.

Such an arrogant way of behaving gives rise to the well-known aphorism "tell me what you presume and I'll tell you what you lack" and, no less well known, "in money and holiness half of half".

Experience shows us that facts are stubborn, so to deny their evidence is to want to see what they are not and ignore what they really are. This attitude is due to not knowing that reality remains and is maintained as something objective; on the other hand, the appearance, because it is subjective, disappears because it lacks real support on which to sustain itself.

The real is the authentic; the apparent, although it is virtual, is a substitute. The resemblance is never the original. That is why, when it is an exact reproduction, we speak of an authentic or duly authenticated copy.

Authenticity consists in not falling into imposture and behaving as each one really is, without appearing to be the opposite. This, moreover, would be a deception that reality itself would quickly and easily discover.

Finally, we will say that, as appearance is founded on something non-existent and without real foundation, its duration is always ephemeral and fleeting, fading away in its own inconsistency. Let us therefore be realistic or even utopian; but never impostors, that is to say, pretend to be what we are not.

3. What sometimes happens to people when the illusion is shattered and reality is revealed? Can you give an example from your own or a friend’s experience?

Some of the times, if the illusion is shattered and reality is revealed, the people may be very confused about the exact truth and the illusions. As, they keep on following the illusions to be a truth for them. They really don’t care about the exact information or honesty behind that thing, and accept it as a truth. But later, when it is shattered and they know about the exact truth, they really get confused and do not will to accept the actual truth.

I feel this below mentioned statement to be a perfect example for the illusion and the exact truth. These type of illusions takes place in every single people’s life. Nowadays, it is actually a world of social media and reporters. I was going through my twitter account and saw a news flashed by a reporter that one of my favourite actress actually changed her club and shifted to some new club. I totally believed that news and was really happy with her decision. But later i also saw a news which said that, she only thought of changing her club but actually she hasn’t done it. This totally resulted towards a confusion in my mind. Therefore, actual truth was that she never changed her club but just thought about it. And because of it, i only resulted to be more confuse.