Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

As a philosophical educator, my first purpose in the classroom is to present progressively thought-provoking material based upon learning objectives, providing tools and guidance for success. My second assignment is to create a space of safety and reciprocal respect, where students are free to experiment and take risks, and are encouraged to work with integrity. Students must go through some type of confusion in order to reach something bigger and become original. My methodology originates from an interpretation of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. In Plato’s theory, the cave represents empirical evidence. This means it symbolizes those who believe that knowledge comes from what is seen or heard throughout one’s lifetime. The cave conveys that the followers of this empirical knowledge are trapped in a “cave” of misunderstanding. Following one

People are looked at wrongly when their thoughts and/or actions are radical to everyone else’s. This ideology has made an extreme impact on students. Rather than students becoming individuals with independent thoughts and feelings, they are all sculpted the same way throughout their educational career. It is not until after high school where they begin to reach towards the self; their true self. The route to success is presenting students with thought-provoking material. Standard school curriculum does not allow children to think. Instead students are given the material and are required to memorize the formulas, facts, and equations, rather than learn from it. By presenting elements that stimulate careful consideration, students are indirectly forced to learn thinking. This eventually results in children learning through their own breakthrough. I as an educator in the classroom will be there as guidance and a safe place. No student will ever be made fun of for thinking something