In this essay I will discuss Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and how it expresses his philosophical view on reality versus belief and the process someone has to undergo to achieve enlightenment. Plato lived 427-327 B.C his mentor was Socrates, Plato was a writer and a teacher he writes in forms of dialogues. Plato believed that education is only directing student’s minds towards what is important and real. For people to achieve enlightenment they have to apprehend things for themselves. He also thought that the universe in the end was good. Enlightened individuals to Plato have a bind on reality unlike the rest of society. In order to have a good society Plato believed it must be ruled by the true wise. The Allegory of the Cave is in book VII of the Republic, which is Plato’s best known work. (Kreis, Steven. May 13, 2004). The Allegory of the Cave is his best known metaphor. The Allegory of the cave is a way of explaining what Plato is trying to get across to people by looking at appearance versus reality and the steps leading to reality. He is talking to a follower of his named Glaucon and he is telling this fable to show what it is like to be a philosopher or a lover of wisdom. Platoâ

He shows that we must all start at the lowest stage and work towards the higher stages. Plato then brings up what if the prisoners were released and could turn their heads, they would be blinded by the fire light and the real objects that had cast the shadows would look less real than their shadows. The metaphor is comparing the prisoners in the cave to people and what they have to do to find enlightened. Plato is saying the prisoners are mistaking when they are telling what the shadows are because they are shadows and not the real objects. The prisoners would see the shadows as being real and they would know nothing of the real causes of the shadows. The next stage the person would have to inform his views with knowledge of enlightenment. This stage is the understanding stage, the last stage. Plato is very clear and lets readers get a full understanding of what he is saying. The prisoners can hear echoes and see the shadows cast by the objects but aren"tmt able to see the real objects. There is always that stop before finally reaching it where the person will have to comprehend all the terms in the definition and can defend each one of them based on the first principlePlato"tms The Allegory of the Cave is a metaphor to show people how they really look at things and see things. He gives information on all things that people could have questions about such as, what the shadows in the cave were coming from and the prisoners beliefs to them, what if the prisoner were freed, how the prisoner would react, and would the freed prisoner go back and free the other prisoners and how the other prisoners would react. The sun was the enlightenment of the freed prisoner. Accomplishing enlightenment illuminates all understanding once it is grasped, complete knowledge has been gained. " The prisoners learn from what they see. Plato"tms metaphor shows the difference in appearance versus reality and how to get to the point of enlightenment.