Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Plato
- ANALOGY OF THE CAVE
- Prisoners in a cave are chained and
can only face towards the back wall.
- The cave represents the world of things and people where
knowledge is gained through senses - Plato described as the
world of illusion.
- The chained prisoners represent ordinary, unenlightened people.
- A fire burns outside of the cave with objects passing it,
casting shadows on the wall.
- The prisoners believe the shadows are real as they
cannot see the objects themselves.
- The shadows appear to be real because the
prisoners experience them with their senses.
- One of the prisoners is released and is allowed to leave
the cave.
- The released prisoner represents the philosopher, who
questions the reality of the shadows and where they came
from.
- After a tough journey the released prisoner
goes outside of the cave and sees the sun.
- The journey represents the journey of the mind or soul
when a person examines the world around them.
- Outside of the cave the sun reveals a beautiful, colourful world, which is more
meaningful and engaging than the shadows were.
- The world outside of the cave is the real
world of forms. The sun represents the Form of
the Good.
- The released prisoner returns to the cave to tell the others of what he
has seen.
- The philosopher tries to help others break free from the illusion, knowing that to
have true knowledge prisoners must strive to see the Forms.
- FORMS
- Forms are
ideas/concepts of what
things are.
- They are unchanging.
- Plato argues that the true forms of
things must exist somewhere.
- Real world = world of forms.
- World we live in = world of
appearances.
- RECOGNISING FORMS
- We are born with a dim
recollection from our prior
existence in the world of
forms.
- PRIORI
- POSTERIORI
- 'from what comes after' -
knowledge gained through
experience.
- 'from what comes before' -
knowledge gained by
reasoning, irrespective of
experience.
- FORM OF THE GOOD
- The source of all existence and
perfection - gives life to other
things.
- When aware of the Form of the
Good you can achieve true
enlightenment.