Read Plato’s account of the Allegory of the Cave and say whether and why you think it is valid today.

There are various ways you can answer this question. In what sense might we be ‘in the dark’ about the world we live in? Are we in some sense collectively manipulated or do we just think we are? Does Plate’s image of shadows on a cave wall bear comparison with the technicological screen? Try to provide sufficient evidence in your answer and take relevant quote from the text.

I have updated my assignment based on my tutorial. I really enjoyed discussing the essay with my Tutor and understanding areas that my work might be improved. I have re-worked the essay to include more in my word-count which is relevant to my argument, rather than recounting the piece from the question. I have included some footnotes, which should cover areas when I might otherwise veer off-topic.

Is this story relevant today? In short, I believe it is.

In today’s world, “the dark” or “the cave” could refer to many different things. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the idea of being “in the dark” regarding education or information. Perhaps that is indicative of the world we live in today, which is quite information/data based. We live in an “information age”, however not everyone has equal access to this information or to education which would allow them to understand it. The “coming into the light” could be the process of education, which is denied to millions of people around the world, particularly women and girls. In fact, “67 million primary-school-age children are still denied the right to education” (ACEI-Global, 2014) . Of those people who are denied their education, they may be aware of this denial – in which case they are aware that there is a world outside their cave, but they are unable to access it – or they are unaware that this education exists – in which case “they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads” (Webspace.ship.edu, 2019) [1]

The danger in either situation, is that the reality that they experience is being controlled by another force, and therefore ” they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave” (Webspace.ship.edu, 2019). When the information and education that you have access to is controlled by another person or administration, it can lead to the development of a very narrow point of view, a duplication of the administrations opinions, which you might consider your own, however you simply do not know any better at the time. I feel that this can lead to a fear of the unknown, a fear of The Other – other peoples, other cultures – and fear often leads to defensive actions or aggression; as one author put it “Fear and loathing of the unknown “other” fuels hatred—the underlying emotional driver of radical ideologies such as jihadism, white supremacy, and fascism.” (Goni, 2017). Our world today seems to be dominated by Terrorism – in which one culture of people attacks another because of differing beliefs or unequal resources, radical thinking .

I think that the Allegory of the Cave addresses this, in its description of men returning from the outside world to discuss the “truth” with those who know nothing of this world: “Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if anyone tried to lose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death”. Is the “truth” not simply what one is presented with by an Administration of sorts, designed to accomplish some need of that Administration – for example, religious extremists who will convince others that they must defend their religion against the West – The Other – they are being presented with a “truth” which may only be true when considered from one point of view – how can they tell the difference? [2] How could the man, released from the cave, have decided that the world above was “Real” and the world below was not? It’s a very interesting concept, and one that I think needs more in-depth discussion than this essay can allow.

Another way that I believe we are being ‘kept in the dark’ – collectively – is through politics and social media. Social media – any media, actually – is essentially owned by someone. Therefore, the information that we received in our media and news, is filtered through that someone’s point of view, political affiliations, financial obligations. Each society has their own Government. It is that Government who determine what access we have to what information, whether we like to believe that or not. In that way, they are like the marionettes who project images onto our cave wall. Our Government is the body whom we have assigned to inform us of what is true and what is not, and, in some ways, we have no power to be informed otherwise; for an extreme example, in Dictatorships like North Korea. “All media outlets are owned and controlled by the North Korean government. As such, all media in North Korea get their news from the Korean Central News Agency. The media dedicate a large portion of their resources toward political propaganda and promoting the personality cult of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-un. The government of Kim Jong-un still has absolute authority over and control of the press and information.” (En.wikipedia.org, 2019).

This reminds me of the line in the Allegory “How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?”. When the Government of a country becomes involved or responsible for the information that we have access to, it would be reasonable to say that we are all being collectively manipulated.

The most obvious comparison to today’s world is the comparison of the cave wall with our Screens; “According to the market-research group Nielsen, adults spend over 11 hours per day interacting with media.” (Brooks, 2018) (remembering, that this media is controlled). Screens offer us a whole new “reality” in which to exist; not only is there the opportunity to create avatars and live in artificial worlds and communities, but there are Social medias which allow us to share only what we want to share with others, to create new “selves” and to experience the world in different ways. We have access to seemingly unlimited information. However, what we seem to forget is that this is all virtual. What we see and experience and feel via our screens in in fact just projections of the “real” world outside of technology. Watching a video on animals in the Amazon, for example, is not the same as visiting the Amazon in person and experiencing this in real life.

What we experience through technology is simply “a mediated and low-resolution approximation of life” (Taylor, 2011) which can become addictive the same way drugs or sex can become addictive, as discussed in Psychology Today article on Technology: Virtual VS Real life” (Taylor, 2019). This makes me think of the people within the cave who congratulate themselves on their skill at identifying the shadows that they see, creating an exciting challenge for themselves in this very limited world; “conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future”.

It would be quite easy to imagine that the Allegory of the Cave was written during our modern times, rather than during 500a. It is very relevant to life today.

Footnotes:

[1] Education can help to alleviate poverty in the next generation, as well as develop communities and learn how to fight disease. Generally in developing countries, education of girls and women is not encouraged, which slows the progress of the community as a whole. See https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-countries/

[2] The use of the “other” is quite often employed by Governments, administrations, political or religious parties in order to unite their own followers against “something” or “someones”. For example, a Government whose followers are beginning to fragment, might be presented with a “Common Enemy” or “Other” against whom they must unite in order to protect themselves. It is an interesting idea in terms of art and history, propaganda, feminist art, religious art intended to inform and warn people, art used to declare wealth and status etc.

REFERENCES

ACEI-Global. (2014). 15 Facts on Education in Developing Countries. [online] Available at: https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-countries/ [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Brooks, M. (2018). How Much Screen Time Is Too Much? [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/tech-happy-life/201812/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Censorship in North Korea. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_North_Korea [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Goni, C. (2017). The Way to Combat Online Radicalization Is Actually Offline. [online] Opensocietyfoundations.org. Available at: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/truth-about-terror-and-youth-radicalization [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Taylor, J. (2011). Technology: Virtual vs. Real Life: You Choose. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201105/technology-virtual-vs-real-life-you-choose [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Webspace.ship.edu. (2019). Plato’s Cave. [online] Available at: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html [Accessed 15 Sep. 2019].