Allegory Of The Cave Comparison

Acclaimed inventor and physicist Nikola Tesla once said that “it is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects.” In other words, Tesla believes that when man becomes enlightened, he becomes aware of mankind’s limitations both individually and societally. Additionally, the introduction of new ideas and the edification of others enhances the progression of society. This idea of the truth of enlightenment is explored in both “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, and The Matrix by

In both “Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix, the cave dwellers and Neo are both inherently chained to their false realities. These realities are symbolized as the cave and the matrix, respectively. Plato reveals in his allegory that there is a cave in which prisoners are held, chained to the wall, watching shadows cast against the wall in front of them. The shadows are what they perceive to be true and they have no conception of what is outside of their cave. In the allegory, Glaucon and Socrates discuss the character of the prisoners, calling them “strange, like ourselves” and their false veracity, which Socrates describes as “literally nothing but the shadows of the images” (Plato lines 14-15, 29). Here, Plato expresses that the fictitious prisoners are indeed strange, but also that mankind is strange as well. When Socrates says that the prisoners are like mankind, it implies that man lives under a false reality, chained to a cave of his own imagination. He also says that the

In the allegory, one of the cave prisoners is suddenly free of his shackles and is able to ponder outside of the cave. As his world of shadows and darkness is forthwith changed into one of light and vibrancy. This dramatic shift from dark to light causes and pain in the prisoner’s eye, and he experiences a sharp discomfort in all of his senses. In the allegory, Socrates questions that if the prisoner “is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he is forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated” (Plato 47-49). Plato explains that the journey to enlightenment is not one of ease, rather one of pain, irritation, and anguish. Using words such as drag, rugged, force, and pain, Plato purposefully shows that the ascent to the real world is a hardship. However, this initial pain, while abundant, is outweighed by the new knowledge of the real world. When the prisoner finally gets past the steep ascent and the blindness in his eyes, he realizes that he is in a place of ardor and liveliness. This stark change causes him to be bewildered and fascinated with the contemporary world around him. Plato also explains this bewilderment in his allegory, saying that “when he approaches the light his eyes will be