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Damani Hoffman
Ms. Alapin
English 220
14 May 2014

A Prisoners Steps into Education

INTRODUCTION
Ive never let my schooling interfere with my education - Mark Twain. The hope of
mankind that there is more to life is one that has been sung, written and talked about for
generations. While many times complacent just to go through life, never challenging anything,
there have been a handful of humans that have always felt the need to reach outside of the typical
world before them and grab hold of any morsel that would give life meaning. This handful of
individuals may, overtime, break through the barrier between the dull, everyday life, and the
brighter world around them, tearing away from the basic ideas of the world, and exploring their
life to the fullest. The thinking of these people is what inspired metaphysics, a branch of
philosophy that encompasses such abstract ideas as being, time, and space.
In Platos Allegory of the Cave, a dialogue that has been lauded as...one of
philosophys founding myths about its own origin, nature and status... (Mulhall 124), Plato
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relates his own idea of mans journey through education. In this dialogue, Plato uses symbolism,
such as slaves, chains, and a cave in order to illustrate the constraints of natural ignorance that
keep mankind in the dark about a level of life that escapes most humans that are not pulled into it
by some sudden act of life. It is through this example that Plato describes ones inauguration into
metaphysics; abruptly pulling one of the prisoners from the darkness of the cave and into the
light of the unknown world around him. In this essay, I will outline the steps one takes through
education as shown by Plato.
STRUCTURE
In order to accomplish this, I will separate my paper into four main sections. In the first
section, I will be explaining the initial stage before education, natural ignorance, and how that is
illustrated in the text. In the second section, I explain the first step, mankinds introduction to the
world of education. Within the third section, I introduce the second step of learning, which is
mankinds exploration of the world around him, and the transition from being unwilling to learn,
to becoming a scholar of sorts. I then finish my paper by explaining the final stage of learning,
which is the desire to teach, as well as explaining what future educators may learn from Platos
version of education.
BEFORE EDUCATION
As stated before, Plato, through a series of symbolisms, paints a picture of men in a cave
chained by their ignorance in the darkness of their narrow world. As the men have been there
since childhood, it is reasonable that they have no idea of the world outside of the cave, and
therefore, cannot be blamed for their navet. Tsabar even goes so far as to say [a] few of them,
who know how to identify the sights, sounds and laws dictating their appearance, are regarded as
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wise persons worthy of honor and prestige...The prisoners are completely unaware of the
bleakness of their situation, and in fact may well be content with it. This existential position is
tragic due to the hopelessness, stagnancy and absurdity it entails (Tsabar 76). In other words,
the prisoners have not yet ventured out into the world, and do not know that there are more than
shadows on a cave wall. Tsabar calls this way of living tragic and hopeless because, not only
have the prisoners reached a dangerous level of contentment with where they are, but they also
laud those who have, what we in the educated world would call, rudimentary knowledge, as
wise. With nothing to tell the prisoners that there is more to be learned, they are trapped in a
basic, two dimensional education, with no desire to escape.
FIRST STEP: BREAKTHROUGH
As the men in the cave all seem to be the same in their narrow minded views, there are
many who may wonder, [w]hat if this individual was selected because he or she possessed a
knowledge or understanding of something that the others did not? (Williams 7). I do not believe
that this is true. I believe that all of the prisoners in the cave had the ability to leave the cave; it
just took a single person to change their fate. Just as in humanity, everyone has the ability to
learn and become better, provided they are given an opportunity to do so. In the case of the
prisoner, it was an individual that already belonged to the world of enlightenment that forced the
prisoner to become enlightened, but that does not always happen. Within humanity, there are
many different ways into the world of higher learning. Some, like the prisoner, are forced into
this world, while others are led naturally by their own ambition. In any case, the only thing that
separates the enlightened man from the men in the cave is the will to learn that was instilled
within him.
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SECOND STEP: EDUCATION THROUGH EXPLORATION
Once dragged out of the cave, the prisoner is blinded by the light, and his first feel of the
world is that it pains him. The pain that the man feels has been described as a...non
metaphorical pain inflicted on the interlocutor and caused by the confession of ignorance
(Zamir 86). Though this does not seem relevant when reading the allegory, when thought of in
this light, the pain the newly freed man feels could be viewed as puberty of sorts, in which the
man has been inducted into the learning process. While he may not be aware of it, by not running
away from this pain, the newly freed prisoner has overcome his first hurdle on the way to a
higher education. After the prisoner begins to adjust to the world around him, it is not surprising
that the first things he can recognize are shadows. However, once the light no longer burdens
him, he begins to explore and find what makes the shadows. However, with this delight, also
comes the long awaited sense of enlightenment as the prisoner looks back, and discovers just
how ignorant he once was. Tsabar describes this breakthrough saying, In order to comprehend
the psychological state of the prisoner, we must remember that when he is exposed to the light of
the sun, not only the nature of truer things is revealed to him, but also the nature of false ones:
how inane the wisdom of the caves inhabitants, how ridiculous their pursuit of respect and
honor (Tsabar 81). As Tsabar states, once the prisoner is exposed to the outside world, his eyes
are opened, and he realizes that those formerly known as wise and highly regarded in his old
world, were actually dim witted in the world of education.
THIRD STEP: TEACHING
If one were to consider education a constant cycle, many would suggest that teaching may, in
itself be the last step in the cycle before it resets. By teaching what one has learned, one may
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rehearse what they have learned, making sure they have understood the concept. They may also
learn something new about the subject by sharing their ideas with others. The will to teach can
stem from many sources, such as wanting to gain credibility in society, or even just wanting
others to share in the excitement of a new discovery. In the case of Platos enlightened man, the
will to teach stemmed from the former, wanting to relate all that he had seen to his friends still
chained in the darkness in order to obtain the offices, honors and prizes (Plato 177) given
between them, as well as to be lauded as the wisest among them. However, in order to tell of all
he has seen, the prisoner knows he must, temporarily leave this new world and go back to the
darkness of the cave. He also knew, as anyone with a new discovery knows, that he could be
ridiculed for his find, as the prisoners in the cave were still held captive by their ignorance and
were too narrow minded to accept the truth of the world. Tsabar best describes the torn feelings
the enlightened man may have had, as well as his will to teach, saying, [f]irst his eyes, now used
to the light, would go dim, and he would have to wait for them to readapt to the darknessand
in the meantime, his fellow men would already have come to regard him as an eccentric [a]nd
yet he goes back, regardless (Tsabar 81-82). This, again, is the willingness to overcome any
hurdle that comes between one and their education, making the mind of a true scholar.
The enlightened man never managed to get through to his friends, but, in terms of his own
education, whether he convinced them that their world was imaginary is not important. After all,
no one could expect the prisoners to take to heart all that was said without becoming enraged and
deeply saddened as they, still prisoners, could never see the world outside for themselves. What
was most important was the fact that the enlightened man was able to look back at what he had
come from and measure his progress, thus completing his education.
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CONCLUSION
Even though the cave dwellers ultimately laugh their former friend away, one cannot help but
hope that the caved men at least pondered on what the enlightened man said and developed a
curiosity of their own, and it is in this way that I believe education should work. Society should
not push everyone to conform to the basic forms of education. Instead, just as the enlightened
man was, people should also be encouraged to go beyond the bounds of formal education and
experience life as it truly is.












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Works Cited
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Selflessness." European Journal Of Philosophy 17.1 (2009): 121-131. Academic Search
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Plato.The Republic. Raymond Larson. Arlington Heights, Ill., c1979., n.d. UNM LIBROS
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Tsabar, Boaz. "'Poverty And Resourcefulness': On The Formative Significance Of Eros In
Educational Practice." Studies In Philosophy & Education 33.1 (2014): 75-87. Academic Search
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Williams, Indi Marie. "Embodiment Of Truth: The Educator In Plato's Cave." Conference Papers
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Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Zamir, Tzachi. "The Face Of Truth." Metaphilosophy 30.1/2 (n.d.): 79. Literary Reference
Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.