To what extent do the educated or enlightened bear responsibility for enacting change in the world - Essay Example

Similarly, enlightenment does not simply come about with truth itself but also with the entire process of discovering the truth and then transforming it into a powerful force. As in the “Allegory of the Cave,” what liberated the cave man was not only the light itself but also the painful process of becoming accustomed to the light. Therefore, it is incorrect for leaders to merely impose their beliefs or directly exhort their beliefs on the ignorant. This does not enlighten people; it only changes the shackles of the ignorant into the domination of the enlightened, which also corrupts and blinds leaders on the power of knowledge.

Leaders should pave an encouraging pathway for the ignorant to discover the truth, leaving them to make the decision. By undergoing this, the ignorant become truly enlightened and empowered. Summary of Plato’s Claim from “Allegory of the Cave” Plato’s famous “Allegory of the Cave” generally defines education equating it with enlightenment, as it is the knowledge of truth. Since truth is what sets man free from the darkness of ignorance, education is therefore liberating. Hence, an educated man who has acquired the knowledge of truth is compelled to educate the uneducated in order to change the world. . However, as Plato explained, not everyone possesses the courage to leave the cave.

There arises a possibility that while trying to liberate them by telling them truths that are beyond their grasp, they may conclude that you are corrupted by the light. Therefore, in order to liberate them, one must not impose the truth on them, but instead guide them towards discovering the truth themselves. Additionally, the allegory criticizes man’s ignorance of reality. The world is certainly not what we directly see. Plato claimed that defining reality according to the sense of perception is similar to the prisoners in the cave whose perceptual sense of reality mistook shadows as real objects.

Paradoxically, reality is imperceptible; rather, it belongs to a higher realm that requires understanding of the mind. As in the allegory of the cave, it was only when one of the prisoners was dug out to the light that he started understanding how shadows were only reflections of reality. By identifying the form that causes the shadow, one is able to move closer to reality. Moreover, forms are not simple concepts or ideas; rather they are as real as the objects they reflect (Gracyk 2). Furthermore, Plato equated goodness with the form of the good.

He explains that goodness varies in different things. What is qualified as good differs in each case (for example, good table or a good chair), not all things are visually alike. What links them together is their form of goodness. Hence, the form of goodness is the only thing good and to understand goodness itself is to comprehend the unchanging form of goodness. Rationale of Thesis from Three Texts Freedom from ignorance is a matter of choice. It is impossible to set oneself free unless one