Velazco 1 Erika Velazco Ms.

Alapin English 220 07 March 2014

Education in Plato's Allegory of the Cave While researching several texts written about Plato, I found a few authors who published books on his theories, his philosophies, and his arguments. These authors all write about Plato's different points on how they relate to education. Based on my research, I found that Plato displays his message of education in the Allegory of the Cave through; philosophy, morals, human desire, goodness, reason, freedom, virtue, mathematics, and knowledge. My goal in this paper is to explain how Plato utilized those terms in depth. To accomplish this goal, I have organized my paper into six sections and a conclusion. In the first section, I provide information on Plato's concept of education through morals in the Allegory of the Cave. The first section is philosophy and morals in which Plato mentions how education and philosophy is a, "process of learning spiritual knowledge and quality of intellectual life." The section that follows is human desire and goodness in which Plato portrays the prisoners use human desire and goodness to learn. Following is reason, in which Plato demonstrates that reason is needed to become educated. The next section is freedom and virtue, in which Plato explains that freedom is needed to learn. The last two sections are mathematics and knowledge; Plato uses assimilation of astronomy and music in the Allegory of the Cave and he clarifies that knowledge makes learning possible.

Velazco 2 PHILOSOPHY AND MORALS There are many meanings displayed from Plato's Allegory of the Cave, but education is displayed through his philosophy and morals. First, Plato mentions his opinion of true education or philosophy: "In his opinion education is the process of learning spiritual knowledge so he even calls true education as true philosophy" (Scott: 183). Plato believes that the learning power is the world of becoming and education is the process of learning. Plato also believes that every person is given the learning power. Plato describes philosophy is a quality of intellectual life. This quality is present whenever the individual acts on the beliefs; that he can organize his mental activities towards an end, specifically towards the end of knowledge, that having knowledge means striving to put the truth into words; and that finding true accounts or speaking correctly helps achieve the good life individually and corporately (Despland: 197). In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato displays education through human morals. Plato educates the prisoners by giving them the opportunity to make a choice: "The objection is that a man who submits to these norms is rather evidently accepting a way of life where he agrees not to get all he wants and not to do as he wants," (Gosling: 3). Other than agreeing on a way of life, Plato makes the prisoners learn about what is most important. Plato suggests that a traditional ideal of life is best and also establishes an argument for supposing that morality is not really good for anyone (Gosling: 4). Plato teaches the prisoners including the circumstances that they are in, that morals aren't valuable. In Plato's view, is that the importance of learning is how one should live ones own life and how it is best to live (Gosling: 4). HUMAN DESIRE AND GOODNESS

Velazco 3 Based on the Allegory of the Cave, Plato seeks to teach prisoners, do make the decision to do what is right and wrong. Plato is teaching the prisoners to learn what is important. Plato makes a clear point: "In the Republic... It is now put in terms of a soul/body war. The distinction is within the soul or person"(Gosling: 29). Plato teaches the prisoners to ask themselves what is the best thing to do. Plato also teaches the prisoners to learn about wanting what is best which contrasts with a desire for food (Gosling: 29). Based on the Allegory situation, the food is wanted. The desire of food leads the prisoners to want what Plato refers to as good. Now the importance becomes desire for food and not what is best. (Gosling: 30). Plato teaches the prisoners to develop their own characteristics based on human desire and goodness. Plato emphasizes in teaching that being dominant doesn't mean being intelligent. Plato describes a prisoner in the cave as follows, "The Republic the possibility is entertained of the spirited par becoming dominant, the picture is of a man who 'accomplishes all his ends by violence and fierceness, like brute beast, and lives in ignorance and ineptitude" (Gosling: 42). In other words, there is a prisoner who accomplishes his ends by violence and fierceness like a beast but lives in ignorance and ineptitude by being in the cave. REASON Referring to the men in the cave, "Plato trains someone to take pleasure, suffer pain, feel shame, anger, and pride in the right objects before he acquires reason" (Irwin: 202). Plato believes that, men have the capacity to reason, reason is a capacity used in learning, and that men have an element resistant to desire (Gosling: 52). The men in the cave were given the opportunity to learn under certain circumstances. Regarding the men in the cave, the argument lies between reason and desire. Plato suggests that reason is a desire and that desires can be associated with reason

Velazco 4 (Gosling: 54). Pertaining to reason, Plato suggests that reason is that by which we learn. The prisoners in the cave needed reason and desire to learn. FREEDOM AND VIRTUE The men in the cave, share a decision to do what they want while be chained in the cave. Pertaining to the Republic, Plato shows that an undisciplined man does what he wants (Gosling: 82). When one of the prisoners escapes the cave and makes the decision to come back to the cave is a perfect example of doing what he wants. The men in the cave also share a "determinist accommodation of freedom: a man's free acts are determined, but are differentiated from nonfree acts either because caused by our desires, or by certain desires." (Gosling: 82). In this case, being imprisoned taught the men to act based on personal decision and desires. In the Allegory of the Cave, one of the prisoners is set free and has the choice to stay free or return to the cave, which also shows that the prisoners do what they want. MATHEMATICS In agreement, "Plato's work is intended as an educational work, whose educational methodology is best understanding in the light of the discussion of mathematical methodology that we find in the work itself," (Scott: 4). Toward the prisoners, Plato strongly considers that every branch of knowledge involves mathematics in some way (Gosling: 102). Plato used mathematics to demonstrate the Allegory of the Cave. Plato used mathematics in the cave; astronomy and music. Plato used mathematics to study the nature of the melody toward the body and soul of the prisoners. Plato utilizes good and bad proportions and quantities in the Allegory of the Cave. He used astronomy involving notions of proper speeds and arrangements particularly with the music in the cave. KNOWLEDGE

Velazco 5 According to Plato, "The adjective from 'knowledge' is 'knowledgeable' (that is, the adjective that connoted to having knowledge), and a knowledgeable person is someone with a wide range of knowledge" (Gosling: 54). Plato suggests that, knowledge is the ability to tell good from bad and goodness is the cause of knowledge and truth. He also suggests that the knowledge of good is the highest peak of learning (Gosling: 55). Plato believes that a person with knowledge obtains the ability to tell good from bad, but a person without knowledge might differ. A person who has knowledge might have learned it or obtained the opportunity to choose it. On the other hand, a person without knowledge has the decision to do good or bad. Regarding the prisoners, Plato mentions knowledge as a kind of intellectual perception. In order to know something is to be aware of it (Gosling: 120). The prisoners had no intellectual perception as they had never been to the outside world. The prisoner's weren't aware of what was outside of that cave. The prisoner's in the cave were learning to become knowledgeable. CONCLUSION It is extremely interesting that Plato thought of something like the Republic and the Allegory of the Cave, as models of education. In the cave, Plato teaches the men about education through philosophy and morals in which he mentions how education and philosophy is a, "process of learning spiritual knowledge and quality of intellectual life." Plato teaches the men through human desire and goodness in making the distinction between wanting what is best in contrast with desire. Plato demonstrates that reason is that by which we learn. Plato teaches, "Accommodation of freedom," which determines a man's free acts. Plato used mathematics to demonstrate the Allegory of the Cave. Most importantly Plato demonstrates the significance of knowledge and its value toward education. Based on my research about Plato and through several books, I have learned that Plato utilized education in all of his work. Plato's message

Velazco 6 about education in the Allegory of the Cave is that education is involved in everything. Of course, we share the belief that a person chooses to be educated and knowledgeable. "Education is teaching our children to desire the right things." -Plato

Velazco 7 Works Cited Despland, M. The Education of Desire: Plato and the Philosophy of Religion. Toronto. University of Toronto Press. 1985. Print. Gosling, J.C.B. Plato. London. Routledge and Kegan Paul Plc. 1973. Print. Irwin, T. Plato's Moral Theory: The Early and Middle Dialogues. Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1977. Print. Scott, G.A. Philosophy in Dialogue: Plato's Many Devices. Evanston. Northwestern University Press. 2007. Print. "S. Marc Cohen." The Allegory of the Cave. 2006. Web. 22 Feb. 2014