Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
The Enlightenment, a realization of how to do thing in a different way.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
The people of the cave see shadows, darkness that fuels the prison, the entrapment of the people in the cave

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
Some things the Allegory enlightenment and education suggests is to be able to think for yourself and break away from the shadows

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
that their trapped and cant get out, held against their will.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
The sorts of thing that shackle my mind is to be closed minded and to feel trapped

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
the freed prisoner realizes how much better it is outside of the cave and the prisoners doesn't realize the freedom outside the cave because the haven't been outside so they don't know any better than the cave.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
Realizing how great the light is, like when he was thrown out of the cave, into the light then he explored the world and went back and told everyone in the cave what its like and he had a hard time seeing in the dark compared to the light.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
They have to fight the shadows and the darkness inside them to break free. the intellectual freedom suggests that its possible and has been done.

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
 I agree because while they were in the cave they weren't all there its the appearance that keeps them there, the shadows and the shackles to keep them there it looks hard to break away but they never tried. the reality is whats outside and the endless opportunities.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?