Plato: The Allegory of the Cave
In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, Plato discusses how he feels knowledge is truly gained. Plato explains to the reader that true knowledge can only be gained through philosophical reasoning. He believes that knowledge gained through senses is no more than opinion. In order to understand what Plato means by philosophical reasoning, the reader must first know what philosophical reasoning means. Philosophical reasoning is a method of investigating claims or arguments based on rational thinking, striving to avoid assumptions and leaps based on faith or pure analogy.
Then if this is true, our view of these matters must be this, that education is not in reality what some people proclaim it to be in their professions. What they aver is that they can
…show more content…
The reader can try all he or she wants, but it will not be true knowledge. The “knowledge” gained will only be something the reader learned through senses. Plato feels that if the reader did not experience an event to gain the knowledge, then the knowledge the reader has gained is no more than opinion.
It is the duty of us, the founders, then, said I, to compel the best natures to attain knowledge which we pronounced the greatest, and to win to the vision of the good, to scale that ascent, and when they have reached the heights and taken an adequate view, we must not allow what is now permitted. (Plato 751-752)
In this quote, Plato is stating that people try to force knowledge into others, because they feel that it is what is best. Plato states that when people try to force knowledge into others by teaching, it may seem as though they are doing what is best; however, this is worst thing you can do according to Plato. Even though it seems like a great achievement, shoving knowledge into another person’s brain is not true knowledge at all and it must not be