How Plato's Allegory of the Cave is Still Relevant

Running head: ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE: IT’S RELEVANCE TO LIFE TODAY
Allegory of the Cave: It’s Relevance to Life Today
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE: IT’S RELEVANCE TO LIFE TODAY
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ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE: IT’S RELEVANCE TO LIFE TODAY1
In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato puts forward a detailed theory about human
perceptions. According to him, knowledge acquired through senses are mere opinions and,
one can gain understanding only through proper reasoning and knowledge. In his book, Plato
contrasts people who believe their sensory experience to be true and people who are capable
of seeing the truth. The Cave uses prisoners as metaphors who are chained down in the
darkness, representing, difficulties of sustaining an intellectual spirit. The essay will focus on
the three major themes propounded by Plato in The Cave and how these themes are relevant
in today’s world.
The themes that Plato deals in The Cave are- the theme of ignorance and darkness, the
importance of education and the idea of appearance v/s reality. The people are prisoners in
the cave facing the fall unable, to move their head. All that is visible to them are shadows that
come from the world outside the cave. They have been there throughout their lives. The chain
to which they are tied is a metaphor used for ignorance. “The people have been in this
dwelling since childhood, shackled by the legs and neck...” To get rid of this ignorance
(which is proportional to enlightenment), they had to ask questions and know the truth.
However, they prefer staying in the cave and accepting their condition. Ignorance is inherent
in them as all their lives they have remained in the cave which, is dark and steep. Even when
“any of them was unchained and was forced to stand up suddenly...the person would...do
this only with pain...because of the flickering brightness would be unable to look...”. When
one of the prisoners is successful in escaping the cave and receives enlightenment, he returns
to the cave to tell his experience. The other prisoners laugh and make fun of him as they have
witnessed the darkness and idea of light is incomprehensible to them “And if they can get
hold of this person who takes it in hand to free them... will they not actually kill him?”. They
ignore Enlightenment even when it is offered to them. Only one prisoner acquires
Enlightenment and understands that light illuminates all. Another theme is the importance of