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Free From Mental Imprisonment In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

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Breaking Free From Mental Imprisonment
In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” he creates a visual representation of the importance of forming our own reasoning instead of relying on others to do it for us. The story starts in a cave and is focused on prisoners who have been chained so they cannot see around them or move anywhere else but their spot in the cave. Socrates, great philosopher and mentor, and Glaucon, Plato’s brother and student, discuss what would happen if a prisoner was released from the cave and what he might think about his old view of life compared to one's life outside the cave. At the end of the discussion, it is revealed that one must form their own understanding of their surroundings and seek a higher truth than what they have grown comfortable with. Plato displays a rational and philosophical way of thinking that is crucial to both past societies as well as society today. …show more content…

Socrates tells Glaucon, “ The idea of the Good is discovered last of all, and it only perceived with great difficulty. But, when it is seen, it leads us directly to the finding that it is the universal cause of all that is right and beautiful. It is the source of visible light and the master of the same, and in the intelligible world it is the master of truth and reason” (Plato 8). Socrates uses a rational way of explaining that good is only achievable when an effort is put into the actions of those who seek it. The only way humans will ever be able to truly understand the idea of good and other higher beings is through one’s own intellect and knowledge by seeking out answers and using reasoning to form

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