Plato’s Philosophy, Essay Example

It is first important to recognize the depth of a good society that is discussed in The Republic by Plato. Plato clearly explains that the ideals of political, societal, justice, and how it ties to what is considered to be individual justice. It explains a better life for society based on the ethical situation they address it with. People don’t think in a philosophical manner anymore. They do what they are taught in books, in a classroom or even in life. They do not think in a way where they actually have to use personal philosophy at all. If one is continually following the thought process of what is right and wrong, they essentially fail to think on their own. This makes the work of Plato that much more important, because it dictates a period where philosophers would actually address important issues.

It was very clear that philosophers were far more common during this time period. They use to gather to debate issues of philosophical issues and gain knowledge of what each other could bring to the table. The true value of what was taken away from those meetings is not something we are understand in today’s society. Bringing classic works like this one into education requires students to step back and see what it means to think for oneself. It’s not just about deciding what’s for dinner, it’s a means of learning how to think on a much deeper level. The issues and ideas that Plato presents could be just as beneficial today as it was centuries ago. It about life, justice, moral integrity, and most importantly, it’s a way of thinking outside of the norm. Today, we accept things for being how they are without any consideration as to why they are that way. A cell phone can follow commands at a push of a button, but we have no ideas as to how. The knowledge is limited because we are ok with having it without understanding why. Walking away from The Republicpeople can see how perception directly affects them. It may not be true, there may be far more to the story, but perception dictates reality, and that is clearly shown in this story.

A very well-known analogy in the Republic Plato made was the story of the cave. Imagine a group of individuals who have been detained since childhood. They are chained up and their ability to move is impossible. They can see only in front of themselves, not in any other direction. There is a raised walk-way behind them and a fire that they cannot see. When people walk on the path, the items they carry cast a shadow, so it is as if there was a puppet show going on. The people are considered to be puppeteers. Because this is all the men have seen, they assume it to be real. They have not looked at each other, or had interactions with other humans. As far as they are concerned they too could be puppets. This has just as much weighing on society today. What one views as normal may be truly distorted in some manner. Celebrities set a standard, the “cool kids” set the precedence, and what others think dictate what one perceives as factual. In all reality it could just be one tainted perception on society.

For many, they live in a fantasy world more than a real one. Movie, television shows, and how many portray their “perfect life” makes others believe it exists. A life that is not real, but is pursued with a vengeance. It can have a direct effect on how one views their own life. For example, modeling one’s life after a love story portrayed in a movie would lead to continual unhappiness because it is lacking what the couple on the television has. This could lead to separation and even divorce because one is in pursuit of their happily ever after. This directly correlates with the example that Plato gave. It’s a vision of what is reality, when there is really far more to it than just puppet shadows dancing around on the wall. The movie shows the couple oblivious to everyone, so madly in love that there is no outside interference with their perfect life. That is clearly not true. In real life there are bills to pay, schedules to keep, kids to chase and many many other factors that put strain on that picture perfect relationship. This is the people walking past the fire carrying items, illuminating puppets. In real life, the perfect life varies from person to person. It’s not always what we see on television.

The grass is always greener on the other side is perhaps a great analogy for what we believe to be true. When one of the men is released in Plato’s writing, he is able to look around, and see what was in fact behind them. That man would see that what they believed to be true all along was nothing more than an illusion. Much like relationships. Modeling one’s life after a movie and separating to find that type of relationship may seem like the best option at the time. But once the individual searches they may come to find out that what they had was really perfect for them afterall. Much like the man who is set free and allowed to see the world, he is now able to see that things were completely different than he had believed them to be. When one is allowed to see what they are wanted to see, it is easy to fool them. The man that was encaged was not able to see behind him, so he thought life was the puppets and he knew no different.

Plato’s philosophy is far beyond what we are accustom to today. The difference between the men in the cave and the people in today’s society is that the men had no choice as to what they see. Today’s society essentially caves themselves because they choose to see what they want to see. They see the factors around them, but they still choose to look at the puppets on the wall. Forming one’s life after fictional entertainment is one way that society encages themselves. Seeing only what they want to see. What is real is far more important than what is make believe. We all want something more than the monotony of everyday life, working for little wages, arguing with the significant other, and too much to do and no time to do it. This is hard to understand and accept. This is why it is easier sometimes to slip into what we want to be reality instead of what really is. As with the couple in the movie versus the couple in real life. The appearance of such perfect happiness is overwhelming, and it’s easy to swap what one lives every day with the fictional life. But it can become very detrimental because they portraying only the good parts of life does and not allow individuals to see the truth behind it.

When the man leaves the cave he is greeted with the bright light. This is a brand new experience which he was at first scared of. But adapting to the sun was the easy part, it was the life outside the cave that was really the part that the man needed to be scared of. Expecting to see puppets running around the real world, the man is about to have a very real awakening. True reality will allow him to learn and live life very differently than is he continued on the path for which he thought was correct. Accepting reality is difficult. People want to believe what they want to believe. There are many different reasons for this, maybe emotional, psychological, and even out of fear. The man had the option to go back to cave, and live in the life he know, but that would have deprived him of much more options in life. Even in today’s society many people give into running back into the cave. Many people have bought into what they believe to be true, and they need their eyes opened. Opening their eyes again is not an easy thing to do. People want to see what they want to see. On the other side of the spectrum from the love stories in the movies, is the partner who is a compulsive cheater. Even though the other person may know, they believe the lies because they cannot handle the reality. Much like the men in the cave, they are comfortable because it is what they have come to know. If they leave that partner they don’t see the potential to be with someone who will be faithful and honest, they just know that things will change and that change is difficult. Others may not understand why they are doing it, and it’s really not good for anyone involved in this situation. Ignoring reality is so much easier than having to actually deal with it. However, it is not the healthiest option. Fear to change and fear for the unknown does nothing more than hinder potential growth and advancement. Pretending it doesn’t exist does not fix the problem, in a way it enables them. There is a small sense of security and well-being when one disconnects from reality. This is not a healthy option and people have to face reality sooner or later.

Plato’s The Republic expresses to the reader the importance of reality over perception. This is just as pertinent in today’s society as it is in the time when it was written. We all live in a cave of some type. We are all set free at some point. And some just refuse to leave. There is no way to force someone to do something they don’t want to do. You have to leave them behind and let them find their own way out of the cave. One can help guide them, take their hand, and encourage them to see reality or for analogy purposes, to leave the cave. Staying behind because of lack of insight or strength is not a reason to prevent change. In a way there are many who refuse to leave their cave. This is a point where Plato may be incorrect. One’s personal friends, family, or even acquaintances may need nothing more than a kind word to encourage the change necessary to leave their own personal cave. Taking the time to figure out what the holdup is can go a long way in the healing process.

Philosophy is a great tool to make sense out of such a complicating world. Plato and other classical philosophers can shed some light on pertinent problems that are still very real to date. Even though some works are centuries old, they still have very real information to make individuals think about different outcomes. The tales and logic that they provide can be shifted to events that are going on today as well. Stepping out of the cave is the first part of the processes, continuing the journey is the next process. Turing around and going back into the cave is not an option and should not be considered.