Austin Fontaine 
Megan Novelli I find it interesting that one thing Plato wrote can be looked at from so many different views (the bonus of being vague I suppose). Dr. McAnulty explained it as a search for knowledge and truth and then becoming an outcast after becoming enlightened. While a few years ago I had a professor explain it as an ascention into a higher realm, possibly even meaning Heaven in her view. She believed that the prisoners were all of us still living, as we are bound by laws and morals in order to remain in the state we consider “free”. I am more apt to agree with Dr. McAnulty that I am with my previous professor mainly because she was not completely there mentally as it was. But I want to know more about the stance everyone else has on the Cave. Is it a search for knowledge, truth, or a movement to another plane of being?
Danielle Urias
4:03 pm, 09.05.10
Well I can definitely see how the idea of ascending into a higher realm could be aligned with Plato. He was highly elitist and did stress the acquisition of forms as true knowledge, sometimes sounding “not completely there mentally” as you put it.
But I would agree with you and Dr. McAnulty about the allegory’s true meaning. It is essentially about enlightenment and finding the truth. Although, I would also like to explore the idea you mentioned about us being bound by laws and morals in order to remain in the state we consider “free.” If the allegory of the cave is anything like the movie The Matrix, then it could definitely be aligned with that idea. The Matrix is all about institutions of control; whether they be laws imposed by the government or moral instructions straight from the pulpit. Perhaps your old professor was right as well…
Kameron Allen
6:24 pm, 09.05.10
I think one of the more amazing things about the allegory of the cave is that it can apply to any of the three areas you mentioned, and more. In my opinion, the allegory doesn’t have to be limited specifically to any one area of contemplation because it is useful for contemplating many things. Personally, I tend to think about the allegory when reflecting on my spirituality. Others, like your old professor, use it to explore their ideas of an afterlife, and so on and so forth. The allegory is applicable to both of these examples, and, as I stated before, to many other facets of life as well.
Thanks for the post!
Ian Robertson
9:21 pm, 09.05.10
I think it would be cool to apply the allegory of the cave as a comparison with a lot of the prophets of the Old Testament. So many of the Prophets were “enlightened” by God, the light source in this case, and preached to the Israelites. The Israelites, as the chained people in the cave, most definitely killed quite a few of prophets.
The allegory of the cave is definitely very open ended and it’s interesting on how you can use it to explore different ideas. I also think it’s interesting on how there are real life situations which exemplify the story.
Michelle Nix
9:57 pm, 09.05.10
I find both concepts very interesting. I think I agree with you and Dr. McAnulty more that the Cave is a search for knowledge and truth. I believe that the Cave can represent many aspects such as being enslaved or having a false sense of reality. I also agree with the idea that we at times become outcast after becoming enlightened. I think that the most difficult part of searching for knowledge and truth is being cast as an outsider. In a simple example, we can look at the story of Noah. God spoke to (enlightened) Noah and told him to build an ark. Everyone thought he was crazy and he became a pariah to those around him. In the end, Noah was right and God’s glory was revealed. I think the Cave was illustrating that very idea with the man who broke his chains and entered the real world. He was seen as an outcast, but never felt the urge to turn back once he received truth and knowledge which illustrates the power of enlightenment.
I do find all the different views on the Cave very interesting. It is amazing the different ways and ideas people point out. Like you, I am interested in hearing any other opinions on what the Cave means to them.
Bradley Campbell
11:20 pm, 09.05.10
Courtney, I agree that when I first heard of Plato’s theory of the allegory of the cave, I didn’t put much thought into it and took it at face value. I have been fascinated by the responses of our classmates, and have come to look at the theory much differently. In a discussion I had with a friend, he described the allegory of the cave as if Christians were the enlightened souls who broke their bonds while the rest of the world rejected the truth. As our conversation deepened, the question came about that what if, as Christians, we had simply shackled ourselves down with our system of beliefs, and had rejected the world’s view of the truth? From this point of view, the cave would be subjective.
Imagine the people that Plato shared this theory with while he was still alive? They might have felt that they were the enlightened ones, and that he was just crazy.
Jeremiah Blalock
12:06 pm, 09.06.10
i personally believe that it is more of the search for the knowledge and truth, only based on Plato’s stance of reasoning and pure thought. I also believe that this is not just limited, however, to worldly truths. As Christians today progress, we are expanding both our question basis for our faiths, as well as our works in faith. We are going through life doing things that, in the past, would’ve been considered outrageous or simply unholy. One of the biggest things I get to is views of music in the church, free worship, and a more touchy issue of women running or leading a congregation. i believe in any type of music, always free worship, and that women should be able to lead just as man, however in older times these things were not allowed and very restricted, often resulting in different punishments and expulsions from church. It took people willing to “break free” of these shackles of basis rule and strict law, and to introduce all of these concepts into the world before people would start to accept these different actions. In summary, i feel that in this sense, we found our new, “truth,” and acquired knowledge of a different way of worship and, personally, a stronger sense of faith after people broke away to see a different view of faith.