philosophy paper 3

8/12/2019 Philosophy Paper 3

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Sharon Tam

Introduction to Philosophy

Philosophy Paper #1

10/14/10

Since the time we are born, the media has always been a powerful influence that has

shaped the way we think and act. It has always dictated what is acceptable in society and has

ordered what skills, awards and qualities constitute success. For example, cosmetic and diet

advertisements peddle products that promise consumers a way to become a fresh faced and thin

representations of societal beauty. This type of media dominance is symbolically represented in

Platos Republic, in which Plato describes the allegory of the cave. More specifically, through a

comparison with modern day media, Platos allegory symbolizes how individuals in our society

are brainwashed into believing that they must adhere to a strict definition of success and that

their reality is complete.

Plato begins the allegory by describing a dark cave in which inhabitants have been

chained into immobilization since birth. These cave dwellers are shrouded in darkness and are

forced to stare at a stone wall onto which shadows of statues are cast upon. The statues are

carried along a raised path by people who walk behind a large fire which casts the shadows upon

the wall. These people talk as they bring selective statues over the raised path and through the

shadow images, form a reality for the prisoners. As Plato describes, If the prisoners were able to

talk with each other about these shadows, wouldnt they believe that they were discussing

reality (Plato 258)? These inhabitants notion of reality is essentially formed by the voices of

the people who bring the statues and are formed by the shadows that the statues cast.


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The media dictates how individuals should think and act in order to achieve societal

definition of success. Similar to the modern television, the stone wall is a similar form of media

that oppresses the cave inhabitants by dictating how they should think and act in order to reach

their societal definition of success. For instance, the ability to see and remember the shadows

quickly is seen as a trait that confers success. As Plato explains, lets suppose that the prisoners

were in habit of conferring honors and awards on those who are the quickest in seeing,

remembering and predicting the appearance of the shadows, in saying which came first and

which came later and which appear together (Plato 259). In order to receive honors for this

game, the inhabitants must pay close attention to the shadow sequences that show up on the wall

and make sure their eyes are adjusted solely for darkness.

The game that the inhabitants play ranks the inhabitants and provides a meaningless

classification of success in the cave society. Were they to expose themselves to sunlight or divert

their attention to anything else, they wouldnt be equipped enough to achieve success in shadow

memorization competitions. As Plato supports, the inhabitants would have the mindset that if

they were to expose themselves to a different environment Itmight take some time before

[their] eyes adjusted, so if the prisoner[s] were holding a contest and [they] had to compete with

them in measuring shadows while [their] eyesight was still weak, wouldnt [they]look stupid

(Plato 260)? The prisoners would be in danger of losing rank and be deemed as unsuccessful in

by their society. As a result, any inking of dissimilar thoughts about alternative realities and

values is heavily resisted against and the voluntary prisoners live their lives based on what they

see on the stone wall.

Dissimilar viewpoints and thoughts pervade this cave world through individuals who

have been freed from their chains, explored their cave surrounds and eventually escaped to the


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sunlight world above. These individuals have experienced a world that contradicts what they

were taught in the cave culture. They have seen not only the fire and physical statues but also the

actual items that the statues are modeled after. Their conception of reality has changed to the

point where, people who learn to think this way are unwilling to be caught in everyday human

affairs (Plato 260).They have begun to understand that their previous knowledge from the cave

was flawed and incomplete. Those enlightened few would begin to reject their societys

conception of success. As Plato questions, do you think he would seek such honors or envy those

who won them? Or wouldnt he say with Homer that its better to be the poor servant of a poor

master and endure anything, rather than think as they do and exist in their condition (Plato

259)? The enlightened individual no longer cares for the propaganda that the media feeds to

society and threatens to disrupt the entire dynamic of the cave.

However, this ambivalence towards achieving cave society success will eventually turn

into concern for his fellow cave inhabitance. As an enlightened individual,remembers where he

used to be, and what passes for wisdom in the cave among his companionshe would feel sorry

for them and be happy about the change that has taken place in himself (Plato 259). As a result

he will try to expose the higher truth about the world to his fellow peers and will be met with

great resistance. When he returns to the cave his eyes will not be adjusted to the darkness and

the voluntary prisoners would say that he wentout of the cave and then re turned without his

eyes, so it is foolish to even consider such a risk (Plato 260). The cave inhabitants would be

against losing a quality that would help them achieve success in their society. In fact, Plato even

mentions that Ifsomeone were caught trying to release the other prisoners and lead them up to

the light, that person would probably be killed (Plato 260). Displaying how much, or rather how

scared those inhabitants are of realizing that their conception of reality is incomplete and facing


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the truth that everything they have achieved is meaningless. As Plato supports, If a prisoner is

force to look at the light, wont the pain in his eyes cause him totake refuge in the shadows,

which hare easier to recognize than what is now shown to him (Plato 258). The pain of possibly

losing meaning and certainty about their lives is a deep rooted fear within all inhabitants.

People fear the unknown because it causes them to question what else is fake or not

complete in their lives; it causes them to question their entire existence. It devalues the success

that they have worked towards by societys definition and exposes that their lives may be

incomplete. Those who are trying to enlighten their peers would be met with suspicion and

would possibly be forced into law courts, or anywhere else, to dispute about the images of

justice, or even the shadows of images of justice and meet the expectations of those who have

never seen justice itself (Plato 261). However, only by learning to accept alternative views and

knowledge can they achieve true success and fulfillment through enlightenment. They can

realize how meaningless societal indication of success is and work towards bringing other people

towards the same conclusions. Only then can society truly break free of the shackles that the

media forces upon us and discover their own truths.

Analogous to our modern society, advertisements on television and magazines now in

days push limited views of success. We are, symbolically, the prisoners that are shackled to the

medias viewpointsand societys conception of success. People become engrossed in this

superficial world that the media portrays and end up never actually understanding their own

truths. They only represent the public opinions of society and never venture to supplement their

fragmented knowledge andblindly follow a path thats laid out for them instead of establishing

their own. Until society realizes that they cannot truly be fulfilled by following the limitations


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that the media imposes, they will never achieve true success and discover personal truth.

Ultimately, our society will never progress and become a republic worthy of good.


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Works Cited

Plato,Platos Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett; rev. Albert A. Anderson. Millis, MA: Agora

Publications, Inc.,2001. Print.

philosophy paper 3

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