Plato's Theory Of The Divided Line

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How is one to determine that everything our eyes perceive is the truth? For us to see certain objects, we need the truth and the good to shed light on objects or ideas of objects. Sight is the only sense that relies on something else (light) to make things visible to the naked eye. Plato has organized a map on what is seen and how it is perceived called The Divided Line. The Divided Line recognizes the difference between what is true knowledge and what is just opinion. This is a chart of how reality is organized based on Plato’s thoughts. By using “The Good” and “The Sun,” Plato further arranges by the object perceived. With the object perceived, we must know the mode of perception, which is then followed by the type of perception. Everything on earth or in the mind can be arranged into one of these categories. Later in the paper, the example of a common chair will be spoken of. The Divided Line is separated by having the most real on top, while the things not as real on the bottom of the chart. Plato uses this Divided Line map to relate to an example of a cave and a prisoner inside the cave. By relating the inside of the cave to the realm of opinion and the outside of the cave to …show more content…

Plato has Socrates tell us to imagine a prisoner who has lived in a cave his entire lives. He is surrounded by four walls with no light shining in the cave. The only time the prisoner sees light is when shadows are projected on the wall from the light of a faraway fire. These shadows are the closest thing that the prisoner sees that relates to the outside world. Socrates then tells us that once the prisoner is free from inside the cave that he would be extremely sensitive to the light, bothering his eyes. Once the prisoner adjusts to the sun and light over time, he would then discover the new reality and freedom. The freed prisoner now can live comfortably outside the cave once he is accustomed to

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