The Analogy of the Cave Flashcards
The Cave
The Empirical world of the senses.
What does the Analogy of the Cave portray?
The Analogy of the cave shows the journey that the philosopher makes from illusion to reality - from ignorance to the world of Forms.
The Prisoners
Ordinary people in our world.
The Shadows on the Wall
Illusions + Doxa (Opinion) - What we see and mistake for reality.
The Chains
Ignorance / reliance in our senses.
The Difficult Ascent
The painful dialectic - the process of arriving at the truth.
The Outside World
The real world / World of the Forms.
The Shadows + Reflections of the Outside world
The Lower Forms (Phenomena).
The Objects + Heavenly Bodies (Moons / Stars)
The Higher Forms (Abstract).
The Sun
The highest of all the Forms, the Form of the Good, which all else is contingent / dependent on.
The Return to the cave
A philosopher has a duty to free and educate others.
Difficulty Adjusting to Darkness
Once a philosopher knows the truth, it is difficult to experience things as the ordinary person does.
The Persecution given by the other prisoners
Like Socrates, who was executed by the leaders in Athens, the philosopher will be ridiculed and threatened.
