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Analysis of Allegory of the Cave

5 Pages 1286 Words March 2015

In "Allegory to the Cave," Socrates presented many different viewpoints on the importance of knowledge. He stressed that once one person steps out of the darkness and into the light, he must mature in his new found knowledge and return to the cave to give its inhabitants a chance at their own enlightenment. Throughout this text, Socrates created arguments that were profound and also some that could be refuted. In saying this, I agree with Socrate’s belief that knowledge is a critical factor in order for a society to grow, though I do not support all of Socrates claims that defend his reasoning.
I accede with Socrates’ belief that it is the freed man’s duty to return to the cave and be a leader for ones to look up to. If this does not take place, then the virtuous man would ultimately be condemning the cave dwellers to “live a worse life when better is possible for them” (519d). Another way that Socrates clearly stated the importance of humbly returning to the cave was by using descriptive imagery in showing an erroneous way of reaching out to its inhabitants. In doing so he used the image of a released man returning to the cave in the attempt of spreading his knowledge to one of the cave dwellers by “dragg[ing one out of his cave] by force along the rough, steep, upward way and [not letting] him go [until] he had dragged him out into the light”(516a). In using this harsh imagery, Socrates made his point that once freed prisoners return to the cave to spread the news of knowledge, they must have a well developed and clear view of this principle and can not force their peers to see the light. I agree with Socrate’s statement that forcing someone to make a decision is not the way to go about illuminating them. The decision is their’s to make. One can either choose to gain sight or choose to remain in the darkness.
Although Socrates made a strong point that forcing one into the light is not the way to go about things, h...

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