COMS 2003 Chapter 1: The allegory of the cave
18 Sep 2019
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Document Summary
The allegory of the cave plato"s passage. A group of prisoners are chained since they were children in an underground cave with no knowledge of the outside world. Their hands, feet and necks are shackled so they were unable to move. All they can see in front of them is the wall of the cave while the fire behind them gives off a faint light. There are people passing by between the prisoners and the fire, carrying figures of animals and objects that cast shadows on the wall in front of them. The prisoners try to name and classify the images on the wall, believing they are perceiving actual entities. Then, one of the prisoners was set free and forced to look at the fire for the first time in which the fire represents the enlightenment, the moment people recognize their ignorance. The fire hurts his eyes and makes him immediately want to turn around.
