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Analicia Ronquillo
Instructor Maya Alapin
English 220.010
23 June 2014
On Our Own Journey
In The Republic, Plato takes us on a journey to the cave. He tells us to imagine men in an
underground cave that are bound by shackles, to keep them in place from turning their heads, so
they only see forward (Plato 175). In front of them is a wall. Behind them is a fire burning, and
in between them is a road, with a low wall where people and animals walk along carrying objects
on their heads. A prisoner is released and forced to look outside the cave. The sunlight is
blinding, because he is so used to the dark. His eyes have to adjust to what is in front of him. He
returns to the cave to tell the prisoners that he left behind the great sights he had witnessed, but
they could not understand him. We can picture this because it reflects humanity and what it has
come to be. But how you may ask. We arent bound by chains, but let me tell you, in a way we
are. There is a force that holds us back from a philosophical education, and what we have to do
to be enlightened by it.
1. From Dark to Light
Transforming from the dark to the light is an ongoing educational journey. We are in the
dark until we become educated and then we are reborn into the light. We as humanity are the
prisoners that are bound to chains by what we think is true. The prisoners mistake appearances
for reality, just like we as humans do. What we believe as true is what we already know and what
we see with our minds. This is what limits our education. In order to start our journey toward
educational enlightenment, Plato tells us we must dismiss the idea that, the soul has no
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knowledge and they put it in, like sight in blind eyes (178). Once we accept that everybody has
the capacity to learn, we may go forward in our journey. The prisoners have been chained since
they were children, so the cave is the only reality they know. This reflects how we as human
beings come to know what we know, by what is exposed to us. Similar to us, the prisoners,
adapted their lifestyle and adjusted to their society that was bestowed upon them (Williams 1).
We need to dismiss the idea of adjusting and adapting to what is in front of us.
2. The Truth
Our generation has grown up to believe anything we hear is the capital T truth, and
without questioning we are content with that. Plato claims that, some things that strike the
senses dont invite the intellect to examine them because theyre sufficiently judged (183). He
continues to claim that we need to encourage examination of what is in front of us and let our
minds explore in order to believe what is true. Just because a teacher is convinced of his own
truth, doesnt make it true. Everything mentioned is worth questioning. Personal truth is
subjective from person to person. One has to experience the light for themselves in order to fully
understand. Plato claims that true philosophy is, what is. What is the good instead of the evil.
The purpose of education is to be able to train the soul to see what is good. Not by, implanting
sight, but of contriving to turn the organ around to look where it should(Plato 179). By this he
means that educators should teach how to think, instead of what to think. Learning is a gradual
process, not a matter of cramming facts, which is also known as short-term memory. A quote
once said by the famous Albert Einstein, Education is what remains after one has forgotten what
one has learned in school. When a concept is truly grasped, you can apply it to other concepts in
the world.
3. Outside of the Practical World
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Another issue with education that is presented in the cave is examined by Marie
Williams. She claims that, knowledge is no longer the goal or the guiding passion, but that
students simply see education as a means to an end or a job promotion with an increase in salary
(9). Students are so focused on attaining their degree and having a job, they are not focused on
what they are learning. Today, humanitys students do not value education for what it is worth.
Steinar Boyum, a professor at the University of Bergen, Norway analyzes Platos theory of
philosophical education. In his view, we do not value education because of the attitude that our
souls have turned towards, which are the particulars. We are concerned about every move we
make or every thought we have. We are afraid of learning. This practical world is what we live
in, outside, is a world of rationality and reasoning, which is the world of truth. A change in
attitude is what will transform practical people into philosophers. It is a matter of desire to be
educated, to break the bonds that hold us back. The soul is what rules us. According to, Peter
Losin, Plato wants us to focus on reorienting the soul in order to achieve an effective means of
education (54). The uneducated have no single target in life at which to aim all their activity
(Plato 179). The educated do, however. Plato claims that being educated leads to a good and
sensible life (Plato 181). Outside the cave is a representation of educational enlightenment.
Humanity must be educated in the good, which is the truth, and then return to the cave to
enlighten others. When the prisoner came back to enlighten the other prisoners, they couldnt
understand him, because they are uneducated.
4. The Power Within
Educators, or what Plato refers to as guardians, are the ones who train the soul, to reach
the learning we call the highest (180). Educators have the power to help guide the soul towards
enlightenment, but it is the power within that is the true leader. Writing in the Journal of
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Philosophy of Education, John Issitt proclaims that one issue educators face is that, the educator
today is confronted by projections of legitimated knowledge and identity that are determined by
the figure of the autonomous learner, evidence-based policy and metacognition (Plato 383). In
other words the educator battles with the soul of the learner who already has a preset notion of
what they think is the truth. Autonomy is self-ruling, therefore the autonomous learner is the one
who decides what to learn, but our perception construes with our soul therefore without even
knowing it we believe what is actually false instead of true. The autonomous learner takes
control of the direction they want to take when it comes to learning. How can we become an
autonomous learner if what we have believed, or known is a story that has been predetermined
since we were born, but the solution is what Issitt writes that we must, recognize the operation
of power (392). As human beings we have that power that no one can take away from us, our
minds can try, which is what Plato warns us about, but we must not take advantage of it, because
then it could become worthless.
Allegory of the Cave is cry to break the bonds that tie us down and limit our education.
If we dont recognize these issues then the problem in our education is going to get worse. We
must take this warning from Plato before it becomes to late. To be enlightened by Platos
philosophical journey we must dismiss the ideas that our perception leads us towards. Going
from the dark to the light is an educational journey, but it will leave a sight for sore eyes that
everyone has to experience on their own. Once gone from the dark to the light, and then
returning to the dark, is when one can really appreciate the truth. Being educated, one can
experience life more fully and accept the truth for what it is worth. Everyone in some way can
relate to the prisoners. We each are on our own journey, and we have to decide where the path
takes us.
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Works Cited
Byum, Steinar. "The Concept Of Philosophical Education." Educational Theory 60.5 (2010):
543-559. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 June 2014.
Issitt, John. "Evidence And Metacognition In The New Regime Of Truth: Figures Of The
Autonomous Learner On The Walls Of Plato's Cave." Journal Of Philosophy Of
Education 41.3 (2007): 381-393. Education Research Complete. Web. 19 June 2014.
Losin, Peter. "Education And Plato's Parable Of The Cave." Journal Of Education 178.3 (1996):
49. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 June 2014.
Plato. Republic. Trans. Raymond Larson. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, 1979. Print.
Williams, Indi Marie. "Embodiment Of Truth: The Educator In Plato's Cave." Conference
Papers -- National Communication Association (2007): 1. Communication & Mass
Media Complete. Web. 13 June 2014.