The Republic Of Plato: Second Edition

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the allegory of the cave and the love of wisdom

 

eleanor h #88787
Apr 15, 2009 10:42 AM

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the allegory of the cave and the love of wisdom

I believe that the meaning of the allegory of the cave is that as you work your way up out of the darkness you are aquiring more knowledge and it is the love of knowledge that keeps you moving towrd the light.

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Roskolnikov
Oct 20, 2011 9:18 PM

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There is a sense in which what you are saying is absolutely true. Plato regarded knowledge for knowledge's sake as the highest good/activity of man. It is important to note, however, that the allegory of the cave is specifically about the knowledge of the eternal Forms. This distinction between the unchanging, eternal essence of the Forms and the constant flux of the cave's shadows is the main rub of the allegory.
 

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