Introduction
The cave’s inner part embodies the sensual world; it is dim, gloomy, and devoid of natural light, where a group of prisoners sees the shadows. Consequently, the outer part illustrates the intelligible, material world, filled with the magnificence and beauty of light from the sun. Thus, the prisoner’s journey is an attempt to help the people from the cave to comprehend the truth and “free” them from the bonds of ignorance in the case of non-acceptance of ideas by “comrades.”
Discussion
Through the allegory, Plato presents general ideas of philosophy to people. “Think more” is one of the critical thoughts that make one think carefully and logically about life (The School of Life, 2014, 1:05). Hence, the data provided to people is a shadow of its natural essence, and through questioning, research, and investigation, an individual has the opportunity to “come out of the shadow into the light.”
The difference between the allegory of the cave and the divided line lies in the opposition of methods, processes, and strategies for obtaining knowledge and ideas about the world and its elements. In brief, knowledge is light, and ignorance is darkness; there is a limitation between these concepts. Accordingly, prisoners crossing the cave line go to the sun and can see natural objects, not their projections.
The difference between opinion and knowledge lies in the approaches to obtaining knowledge and the type of reliability and trustworthiness of the information. As a rule, opinion is based on feelings since it concerns individual objects and is characterized by variability and relativity. An opinion is subjective and cannot be evaluated from the point of view of truth or falsity. In contrast, knowledge grasps not personal but general properties, which is evidence that knowledge has a universal character and immutability.
In the era of the Internet and the rapid development of information, critical thinking is necessary. When I come across rumors or unusual opinions – for example when a lot of fakes began to appear in the news, I try to be critical of each of the possible attributes of information: the source, the presentation of the material, the need to verify the authenticity of the event, even if on a sensory level it seems that it is pure truth and much more. This approach allows me to turn my opinion into real fact-based knowledge.
Conclusion
Indeed, in studying the philosopher’s concepts, I’ve been struggling with problems. Firstly, it is necessary to consider the external difficulty of mastering Platonic materials from the point of view of the lack of a special and systematic presentation of philosophical thoughts. Moreover, there is a great “hardship” regarding the inner understanding of Plato’s philosophy since It is challenging to give a clear and distinct analysis of his doctrine of ideas.
Reference
The School of Life. (2014). PHILOSOPHY – Plato [Video file]. Web.