Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash

Light shining through a hole in a cave

The "Allegory of the Cave" is an ancient philosophical piece about what shapes our knowledge. The allegory suggests that we are prisoners chained in a cave, watching shadows on a wall, believing in what we've been taught without question. However, we can be introduced to new ideas, though it will be a painful process. "The Allegory" is basically about the journey to enlightenment, or education - the pain and the joy.

For example, for a long time people believed that the earth was the center of the solar system. When scientists like Galileo or Copernicus began to suggest that the sun was the center, this was a threatening idea that people rejected, sometimes even violently. Another example is the Civil Rights Movement. For decades after emancipation, black citizens were treated as "lesser" citizens through segregation laws. When leaders like Dr. King pushed Americans to reconsider segregation, it was a painful time for the U.S. People resisted change, although that change did, eventually, happen.

Your Assignment:

Use "The Allegory" as a jumping off point for your own exploration: how do you see this reflected in your world? (For instance, social media can act like the "cave" in Plato's allegory - shaping what we know.)

Come up with a topic and find two sources - newspaper or magazine - to illustrate your point.

Topic Selection:

What new ideas have challenged your way of thinking about an issue? Is there something you once believed that you no longer believe is true? How does that topic relate to "The Allegory?"

Some examples might be:

• online learning (vs. traditional)
• climate change (people denying it is real)
• alternative energy (resistance to solar/wind energy)
• the electric car (resistance to new technology)
• AI technology
• same sex relationships
• sexual orientation and gender identity
• use of pronouns "she/her," "he/him," "they/them"
• movement towards veganism/plant based foods
• trust in government (or lack of trust) ex.: pre-Vietnam vs. post-Vietnam
• movement to holistic/natural healthcare
• open borders
• digital minimalism
• hybrid work

Once you have selected a topic, ask yourself:

• How does [your topic] shape what people know about the world, like the “cave” shapes what people know in “The Allegory?”
• What are the “chains” that hold people back regarding [your topic], much like the chains hold the prisoners back from leaving the cave in “The Allegory?”
• What are the “shadows” on the wall that [your topic] casts? In other words, what does [your topic] make us think or believe?