Study Questions for Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?

• The Allegory of the Cave represents our view or take of reality. It represents how much we think we know, see, and believe as opposed to how reality truly is what we really don't know yet. The only way we know what reality truly is if we went out of the "cave" or in modern terms, our comfort zone.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?

• cave-the prison, our own mind
• outside world- reality, what we ought to understand and believe in
• shadows- a glimpse of what we are missing
• the fire- "the light at the end of the tunnel", our way of getting out of there

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

• Education cannot be forced upon. Education must be something that is enjoyed in order for us to absorb instead of being forced-fed something that we might not want at the moment. 
• Enlightenment is the only way we can use to achieve pure knowledge. If we are enlightened, then we are more motivated to become educated.

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?

• The shackles symbolize the restriction from the outside world.
• The cave symbolizes the isolation area from the outside world.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?

• In our own life, sometimes getting every single paperwork ready for college shackles the mind. It creates stress which then makes us think and think about this one important thing.
• Sometimes, it could be relationships with your boyfriend or girlfriend or even with family or friends.
• In my life, a long to-do list shackles my mind because I want to make sure that I squeeze in every single thing in before I head to bed. Sometimes, that means staying up late if I have to. It shackles my mind because one thing sometimes restricts me from doing another thing, especially when one of those things on my to-do list is my top priority of the day.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?

• The freed prisoner now has the knowledge of what reality is really like because that freed prisoner can experience it while the cave prisoners are stuck in the cave with no knowledge of what is outside. They only have a perspective of the outside from whatever the freed prisoners have told them.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?

• Lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur when people restrict themselves from seeing and experiencing the truth and when people allow themselves to become ignorant about what  the truth really is when it is being explained to them.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?

• The prisoners get free if they choose to listen to what the freed prisoner says and acts on it. If the prisoners take action because of what the freed prisoner said and experience the truth, then they will be freed. "The truth will set you free" really plays a role in this. Intellectual freedom is the only way to getting out of the dark, dingy cave and getting to the outside world, the light (enlightenment).

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

• I agree that there is a distinction between appearances and reality because in art class, my teacher always says to take multiple looks at our object that we are going to paint or draw of. The things that we see are the appearances, but the more that we look, the more we study, and the more we study, the more enlightened we are which brings us to reality.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?

• The two alternative metaphysical assumptions are that we have our own perspective of reality and that we will only believe our own perspective because we are living it, which would be our only way of proving the distinction between reality and appearances. But for me, I do believe there is a distinction between reality and appearances.