Ignorance In Plato's The Allegory Of The Cave

As humanity progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that the only thing keeping us from achieving great things are ourselves. One of the biggest ways humanity harms itself is ignorance. People purposefully ignore situations, so they can stay safe and in their comfort zone. If people choose to never get out of their comfort zone, they never get to meet new people, learn anything new about themselves, and are stuck in the situation they are in. Plato expertely portrays this type of situation in his short essay The allegory of the Cave.

Plato is one the most famous philosophers ever, and his works are still used in schools to this day. He lived from 428 to 347 B.C. in Athens and grew up learning from other great philosophers, such as Socrates

In it he tells of a bunch of humans chained together facing a wall in a cave with a fire behind them. The only thing they are able to see are the shadows of themselves and the people that walk behind them. One day one mans chains are opened, and he is free to leave. He slowly makes his way out of the cave, his eyes hurting from the light, and his body acheing from the different movement. He pushes on through and eventually makes it outside where his eyes adjust. He sees the beautiful landscapes and begins to appreciate them. He goes down to free the rest of his companions, but when he goes back into the cave, he can’t see as well anymore because his eyes have adjusted. Because of this, they make fun of him saying he lost his eyes up there, and they ridicule him. He still tries to free them, but they become violent, wanting to stay in the

In todays technological age, people have unlimited access to information, and it takes little to no effort. This essay brings to question why are people not researching or asking questions to better themselves. It forces us to ask questions that are uncomfortbale and makes us feel unsettled. He also shows how when we do seek information and explore, we can fail and embarrass ourselves. When the man goes back into the cave, he can not see because his eyes have adjusted, and he is made fun of. Plato accurately describes how those people that try new things or try to understand different or new things can often be made fun of and ridiculed in the beginning. He accurately portrays how the only way to progress or keep developing is to do things that make you uncomfortable. Plato’s essay is not only spot on when it comes to the human mind, but it is also surprisingly insightful for being written during his time

Plato’s essay is completely right in the fact that it exactly describes how the human mind works. There are plenty of times throughout history that back up Platos essay and show exactly how right he his. When the Wright brothers were making the first airplane, plenty of people called them crazy. Now airplanes play a major part in society, and humanity would take a pretty big hit if airplanes did not exist anymore. Plato was able to exactly describe how almost all major technological advancements