Plato Republic Discussion Question
In platos republic, book VI, platos tells the story of Allegory of the cave. This story tells of what plato believes true education is. First plato tells what education is not. “Education isn’t what some people declare it to be, namly, putting knowledge into souls that lack it, like putting sight into blind eyes”(518b) then plato describes what he thinks education is. “Then education is the craft concerned with doing this very thing, this turning around, and with how the soul can most easily and effectively be made to do it.
It isn’t the craft of putting sight into the soul. Education takes for granted that sight is there but that it isn’t turned the right way or looking where it ought to look, and it tries to redirect it appropriately. ” (518d)I believe in the story, the effect on one who goes into education is that he possesses the spiritual enlightenment of the form of the good. Education is up to man himself and can only learn to a certain limit. In the sensible realm, the lowest on the list is the shadows, imagers, and reflections.
In the story the prisoners can only see the shadows and nothing else. This effects their soul because they are only limited to that and the soul has nothing to grow upon. Education is like the metaphor of the sun, being able to see clearly and in reality. I think platos view of education is sensible to me. I understand how plato is explaining how the shadows and darkness is like being limited and unless you find the light you will not be successful. Once you find the light it will help you to get away from the shadows and be able to “see” more clearly.
