The Allegory of the Cave by Plato: Relevance in Modern Society

This essay delves into Plato's Allegory of the Cave, highlighting the prisoners' limited perception of reality and their reluctance to seek enlightenment beyond their confined world. It draws parallels between the allegory and modern-day scenarios, such as the suppression of truth through the imprisonment and murder of journalists like Deniz Yucel and Jamal Khashoggi, who challenged oppressive regimes. The essay emphasizes the importance of education in fostering awareness of one's rights and empowering individuals to resist autocratic rule, positioning journalists as educators who can lead people out of the darkness of oppression by promoting proactive engagement and awareness of their rights. The text concludes by underscoring the allegory’s enduring relevance in contemporary society, especially in contexts where freedom of expression is stifled and critical voices are silenced.

Running head: PLATO AND THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
PLATO AND THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PLATO AND THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
The prisoners of the cave as per the views of Plato were overwhelmed in a sense of self
pride as they only saw the magnified version of the actual reality and considered it as the only
truth. The fact that the prisoners considered the shadows of themselves as the ultimate reality
which projected them greater than they actually were was due to the fact that the prisoners were
out of touch from the realities that existed beyond the expanse of the world they themselves were
aware of. The prisoners of the cave were not acquainted with the greater realities of the world
which could provide them with a broader perspective of life and make them aware that the scope
of reality was greater and more profound than what they saw on the walls of the cave. The
prisoners were also however not willing to venture out towards the brighter light at the entrance
of the cave, as they were chained by their customs and also by their self imposed psychic prison,
and the very fact some of the prisoners had tried to break out of the shackles of the bondage of
ignorance shows that the people were chained in the prison against their wish (Grube & Reeve,
1974).
The allegory of the cave of Plato is very much relevant in modern life and that is evident
from that fact that the freedom of press and the safety issues faced by the journalists are a proof
of it. Turkish journalist Deniz Yucul being imprisoned by President Erdogan for writing against
him and the murder of Saudi diplomat Khashoggi for voicing opinion against the Al Saud royal
family are just few of the examples from the world where the light of truth is suppressed (Høiby
& Ottosen, 2016). The reason behind the mentioning of the Deniz Yucul and Jamal Khashhoggi
is that those journalists have tried to enlighten and educate the masses about the predicament that
they were goading themselves into by blindly following the dictates of the Turkish and the Saudi
government respectively. In the Turkish context the rise of jingoism and the extremist ideals
have been in rise and in the Saudi context there have been an increasing amount of corruption

2PLATO AND THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
and crackdown on the forces which seek to question the arbitrary rule of the new king
Mohammad Bin Salman, who is intolerant of any opposition, and treats opposition with utmost
cruelty. Education in the context of the mentioned journalists and their respective nations is very
much necessary as there is a direct correlation between being educated and a better knowledge
and awareness about ones rights. When one gets enlightened about ones rights, it becomes
difficult for the government to oppress and continue with its autocratic rule, and the journalists
Deniz Yucul and Jamal Khashoggi can be justifiably called as the educators who would play the
role of educators and they must try to bring the people out of the darkness of oppression by
means of motivating them to be proactive and aware of their rights in order to restrict any
oppression or domination.

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References
Grube, G. M., & Reeve, C. D. C. (1974). Plato's republic. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing
Company.
Høiby, M. H., & Ottosen, R. (2016). Reduced Security for Journalists an Less Reporting from
the Frontline.