Knowledge Forms The Government

Knowledge Forms the Government

In "Allegory of a Cave," Socrates describes the people in a cave as having the lowest level of knowledge. He then uses allegories to explain that everyone needs to be educated to form a better government. He says that it is the state's duty to bring education to the people, by compelling the bright minds to ascend to the knowledge of good and share their knowledge with the others.

The cave has the people with the lowest level of knowledge. All they know to be true are shadows projected on the wall of the cave. Since the shapes on the wall are only shadows all the people know are illusions. They have the lowest level of knowledge because they only know what they are being shone.

The second part of the text talks about a prisoner who is taking a journey through the levels of knowledge, and discovering who he is. As the prisoner learns that combining the statues and the fire causes the shadows he realizes that everything he saw before was just an illusion. He is then let out of the cave and is able to see himself and other real objects. Then he sees that the heavens, the stars, the moon and the sun are all the knowledge of good.

In the last part of "Allegory of a Cave," Socrates talks about relating the allegory to his own government which is the perfect government. In order to achieve this, the government needs to bring the people out of the cave by compelling the best mind and having them teach the other people in the cave so they too can see more than just illusions.

Socrates shows us the prisoner in the cave seeing only shadows, then seeing his disillusion and attaining the levels of knowledge. He uses the allegory to show a perfect government where everyone has the highest level of knowledge possible.