The Allegory of the Cave

In class this week, we are going to take a look at a very famous, very important primary source which encapsulates several key elements of the zeitgeist (Links to an external site.) of classical Greece and the attendant philosophical views in circulation at the time. The source you will be reading comes from Plato’s Republic, in which he famously pointed out multiple flaws that he saw with democracy as it was practiced in Athens during his time (5th – 4th centuries BCE). 

Plato presented his ideas in the form of dialogues, using Socrates, his teacher, as one of the main characters. Socrates himself never wrote, so it is unclear how much of the ideas come from Socrates and how much of the ideas come from Plato himself. Irregardless, it is an excellent way of illustrating how philosophical symposiums worked. True knowledge was not possible to ancient Greek thinkers, and they believed that by sharing multiple perspectives (talking it over, and respectfully listening to each other’s opinions even when they were in disagreement), we could get one step closer to true knowledge. As Socrates said, “the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

“The Allegory of the Cave” derived from the idea encapsulated in the quote. 

Instructions

Part 1: Background Information

Read Chapter 3 and the associated resources to go along with Chapter 3 in your Week 2 module:? 

Read about Classical Greece in this article (use the table of contents of the left of the page to skip ahead to that topic): Brittanica Academic: Ancient Greek CivilizationLinks to an external site.

Read this article about Plato on Gale: World History in Context: Gale World History in Context: Plato

If you would like to, watch these short videos and take a few notes about what you learned:

Primary vs. Secondary Sources (Links to an external site.) 

School of Life: Socrates (Links to an external site.)

Read this if you have not done so: How to Read a Primary Source.pdfDownload How to Read a Primary Source.pdf

Read the primary source: Allegory of the Cave–Plato.pdf Download Allegory of the Cave–Plato.pdf 

Part 2: Post: Type your responses in your initial post:

Write a full paragraph with details explaining classical Greece. Make sure that everything is in your own words. Do not quote from the textbook or the articles posted. 

1. Include information about the dates, the culture at the time, major events, people, and philosophy.
2. Think of it as a synopsis or an overview of what you currently know about ancient Greece, based on your reading and the knowledge you already possessed prior to this week.

In general, what do you think is the main theme of the source? What is Plato trying to say? Think about what was going on in his mind.

Copy and paste three quotes from the document that you think helped you to answer question 2. What quotes helped you answer question 2?

Part 3: Building a Thesis

1. Compose a draft of a thesis statement. View this if you want additional help with writing thesis statements: Creating a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.)

Your thesis is your argument about what this source can teach us about Plato’s views or Classical Greece.

It needs to be specific. (See above link)

It should be an argument.

1. Look at the quotes you gathered. That would be your evidence if you were actually going to write a paper about this.

Compose an argument based on those quotes. 

• Part II: Thesis

Your goal is to develop a strong thesis statement based on the quotes above. 

The thesis statement would set up an argumentative essay that would state something that the source teaches about the time period. You will not actually be writing the essay.

If you do not have experience developing thesis statements, see the following pages:

• Developing Strong Thesis Statements (Links to an external site.)

Tips and Examples: Thesis Statements (Links to an external site.)

Consider the quotes that you chose. What themes link them? What do they mean? What do they teach about this time period? 

1. Construct your thesis statement.

A thesis statement should present an argument. You would support your argument with evidence. Your evidence would include the quotes you chose and the links the quotes have to the historical context of the society, if you were writing the essay.

Do not overthink it. 

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” from The Republic [illustrates/indicates/illuminates/shows/teaches/etc.] [some aspect of classical Greek society/philosophy/values/etc.]

Be specific.

1. You do not need to follow the above example. You just need to make sure that your argument includes the mention of the source, and what it shows about some aspect of the time period in which it was created.