Plato’s “Allegory Of The Cave” Essays Example

Plato’s Allegory of The Cave dwells on Socrates interpretation on the predicament of prisoners chained to a cave’s walls all of their lives. The individuals face a blank wall which from time to time has shadows projected by a fire behind them. The shadows are the only reality that the chained slaves know about. Socrates explains how a philosopher equates to that slave or prisoner freed from the cave chains. The freedom ultimately means that a philosopher can decipher that the shadows do not constitute a reality but merely a perception of it. Despite this philosophical interpretation being based on the Greek context, it is still relevant to the modern society. The message is applicable to these contemporary times as much as it was two thousand years ago in Greece.
The current world is full of shadows which many of the modern day people assume is the true reality. Many people lack the insightful perspective that may allow them to identify the reality of ideas. In this context, the advent of media has been the source of the shadows to many of the global populace. The current society overly relies on mainstream media for information and entertainment. This overreliance makes the majority of the people susceptible to misinformation or propagated assumptions by the owners of media houses. The Television, for instance, in these modern times has become a common fixture in many households. Much of what is reported on television is the media houses’ interpretation of various events. During the Cold War, for instance, much of the American populace was shielded from reality by the station houses that portrayed America as the victor in its fight with the Soviet Union. The Vietnam case can attest to this. Much of the American populace was not well-informed of the number of troops in the war against communism expansion in Vietnam.
Many programs on the TV are also tailor-made to project particular perceptions that equally distort an individual’s outlook on life. The TV shows for the most part tend to highlight what good life ought to be through trendy shows that revolve around flashy lifestyles et cetera. With much of the TV audience being gullible, much of the information televised is consumed as the truth. Tastes and preferences are ultimately determined by what the television shows’ hosts suggest in total disregard to personal perceptions. In the realm of politics, the Television stations also happen to have a great influence on the voting patterns and candidate preferences. Through smear campaigns, propaganda and even discriminative coverage of political events, the stations manage to tilt the voting patterns among even a well-learned population.
It is prudent to note that the majority of the developed world citizens have become “couch potatoes” due to their addiction to television that has revolutionized over the years. Some are ardent viewers of reality shows that make them miss out from the actual reality in the outside world. Reality shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians only distort the perception of reality for many impressionable viewers. The addiction only serves the interest of the corporate world and television stations in total disregard of the viewer on the other end.
The digital media also shows how relevant the allegory is to the contemporary society. With the advent of social media which is availed on the digital platform, much of the world population has become part of the larger global social media community. Despite the positives associated with the social media such as ease of communication, much of its subscribers are slowly shifting from the realistic realm. Facebook and Twitter are some of the most used social media sites by individuals around the world. They are currently the caves that many people are held bondage. Many people chain themselves to these sites with the hope of interacting with others but, unfortunately, end up cutting physical ties with many of their friends, colleagues, and loved ones. The addiction to these sites even affects the performance of many individuals in the real world. Many people pause during serious engagements to check their phones, tablets and computers for nay notifications, messages etcetera from their social media sites. The social media sites have also reduced the perception of serious global issues. On Twitter, for instance, “hashtags” have substituted real aid on very critical issues. Much of the serious issues end up in memes and jokes from an unfocused world of individuals on these platforms.
In conclusion, Socrates philosophical thinking though based on the Greek context is very much relevant to this date. The Allegory of the Cave has continued to depict the picture of the modern day society that is chained to the walls of the mainstream and alternative media. The Television stations have been at the forefront in brainwashing their impressionable audiences in various ways. The stations have continued to thrive on the addiction suffered by many viewers to TV programs and shows. Tastes and preferences, voting patterns and even the perception of reality through reality shows have continued to characterize the bondage that many TV viewers are in. As for the digital platform, the social media sites have also continued to conjure shadows to most of their subscribers. Many social media subscribers have strained relationships as they pursue digital ones. The real relationships and interactions that matter are shelved for digital linkages and chats. The users have also misplaced their priorities by putting much emphasis on the digital excitement at the expense of their real lives and day-to-day activities. The time invested in momentarily checking social media sites in the middle of real and important activities accentuates the point that the modern society is still chained. The society is still chained to the walls that Socrates philosophically talked about centuries ago.