Plato's Allegory of the Cave

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
The sheltered or unenlightened world people are accustomed to living in.

 2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
The prisoners, the chains, the fire, and the darkness and shadows of the enclosed space.

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
People won't be able to handle the amount of information at their disposal at first, but could eventually adapt to "the glare".

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
The cave is the small amount that the prisoners actually know or understand and the shackles are what prevent them from expanding their knowledge.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
Insecurity can be a shackle to the mind. Self-doubt and a fear of inadequacy hinders growth in many aspects of a persons life.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
The freed prisoner's have been given the opportunity to reach enlightenment and see the world for what it can be and would see more value in taking risk than the cave prisoners who would be more prone to stay sheltered and only view the "shadows".

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
ignorance and apathy? (I need more clarification on this question)

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
Open-mindedness is the key to freedom for the prisoners. You have to want the freedom to get it. Once they are willing to be enlightened then they will finally gain their intellectual freedom.

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I agree because we have all heard the line "not everything is as it seems" and that makes perfect sense to me. A smiling face does not make a happy person and just because a coffee shop advertises the "World's Best Coffee" doesn't mean you aren't drinking complete crap. Appearances can often just be assumptions or masks to what the underlying reality is.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?
Everyone's reality could be different.