Plato's Analogy of the Cave

Question 1

What does the cave represent?

Answer 1

The world of the senses in which most people are trapped, a world of decay and change

Question 2

What do the prisoners represent?

Answer 2

The ordinary people who only know what their senses tell them - empirical evidence

Question 3

What do the shadows represent?

Answer 3

Material objects experienced by the senses, phenomena - the instances/reflections of the forms

Question 4

What does the prisoner who is set free represent?

Answer 4

The philosopher - the rationalist who uses reason to understand the real world

Question 5

What does the journey out of the cave represent?

Answer 5

The philosophers journey of enlightenment to the real world

Question 6

What does the world outside the cave represent?

Answer 6

The world of the Forms, the real world which is eternal and immutable - cannot be changed or destroyed

Question 7

What does the sun represent?

Answer 7

The highest Form - the Form of the Good on which everything ultimately depends

Question 8

What does the return to the prisoners represent?

Answer 8

When the philosopher tries to convince other people of the real world only known through reason but people do not believe him

Question 9

What is the quote from philosopher kings?

Answer 9

“Philosophers should rule society”

Question 10

What was Plato’s main question?

Answer 10

How do we know what is real and how do we know anything?

Question 11

How many strengths are there for the analogy of the cave which should be remembered?

Answer 11

3

Question 12

What is a strength of the analogy of the cave in terms of 5 senses?

Answer 12

People can only rely on their 5 senses so they can be deceived by their senses e.g. refraction and microscopes to look at things we cannot see

Question 13

What is a strength of the analogy of the cave in terms of universality?

Answer 13

The analogy of the cave is universal so everyone in the world can relate to it

Question 14

What is a strength of the analogy of the cave in terms of the cave?

Answer 14

The cave represents everything in our world and everything in it and all we know e.g. the cave is our world and we are the prisoners

Question 15

How many weaknesses are there for the analogy of the cave which should be remembered?

Answer 15

6

Question 16

What is a weaknesses of the analogy of the cave in terms of Forms?

Answer 16

Some people could argue that ideas of justice or beauty are not ‘Forms’ but ideas in peoples minds e.g. pieces of art

Question 17

What is a weaknesses of the analogy of the cave in terms of younger readers?

Answer 17

Plato’s meaning may not be clear to some people, especially younger readers

Question 18

What is a weaknesses of the analogy of the cave in terms of interpretation?

Answer 18

How do we know who has the right interpretation, the ‘rationalist’ or the ‘empiricist’?

Question 19

What is an empiricist?

Answer 19

Someone who relies on the senses alone

Question 20

What is a rationalist?

Answer 20

Someone who uses reason to understand things

Question 21

What is a weaknesses of the analogy of the cave in terms of reasoning?

Answer 21

Some people may say the analogy is a weak method of reasoning

Question 22

What is a weakness of the analogy of the cave in terms of elitist?

Answer 22

Plato may be considered as an ‘elitist’ someone who thinks he is better than everyone else because he is a philosopher. Philosophers tended to call people ‘plebs’ if they did not agree with them

Question 23

What is a weakness of the analogy of the cave in terms of senses?

Answer 23

How do we know there if another world because we can only trust our senses because it is all we know