Read the “The Allegory of the Cave” from Plato’s Book VII of The Republic : This particular text, “The Allegory of the Cave” describes a moment of intellectual enlightenment. There are moments in your life when you discover something new that you did not know before and it compels you to think differently about everything. Sometimes this kind of event can transform your entire world-view. In the case of this reading—Plato will describe how someone will learn something completely new that challenges his/her previous viewpoints about his/her life situation. After they see the “light” so to speak, they begin to truly understand how their mind and thinking process really works in relationship to the world and how they see things and ideas. There have been times in your life when you have most likely had such an event: a distinct experience where your previous notions about something were proved false and you had to change your whole perspective on the world. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is the story form of Plato’s view of the cosmic order. As you read the Allegory of the Cave, think back over your own life and see if you can remember if you have ever had a similar experience where you learned something new and your entire understanding of the world changed.
Sample Solution