The allegory can easily be extended to religion - what if God is actually controlling everything we see and do and free will is nothing but an idea? After all, it would be easier to create a simulation of a world than to create an actually palpable world, wouldn't it?
In my opinion, our exponentially advancing technology has made the allegory even more relevant to our lives today. With improvements in virtual reality, it has become less of a stretch to consider the possibility that our world is nothing but a mere projection of something, or someone's imagination. Although I say that the allegory is relevant, I prefer not to expend my brainpower on considering the reality of my existence. While it would certainly be interesting to absquatulate from the cave and see the "true world", I can't help but feel wary of it. After years with his eyes wide open, Cypher decided in the end that ignorance is bliss and ultimately decided to go right back into the cave. Even though I'm curious and I haven't opened my eyes completely yet, I figure that the real world will show itself to me if it's truly necessary, or maybe I'll find out after I've died.
Good job on your blog Ian! I agree with you that "Allegory of the Cave" is still relevant today and can be connected to religion. Similar to religion which can interpreted in many ways creating many different types of religions, I think "Allegory of the Cave" is a very subjective piece of literature. Do you think there is something out there that is bigger than us? Are we in a cave?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellie! I'm really unsure about whether or not there's more to the world than what we scientifically know. I've been raised as a Christian, but I've been drifting between religious and agnostic lately. Most (if not all) of the people I know and look up to are religious, and I know that they are all at least as smart as me and have more wisdom from experience. That's why while I'm really skeptical about the existence of a "higher being", I still feel like I should try to find a way to exit the cave. Once I've searched thoroughly for answers, I can then conclude that the cave is not something that I will escape (until death?), or maybe the outside doesn't even exist.
ReplyDeleteExcellent job combining your own beliefs with the overarching idea of the cave. You contemplate these enormous philosophical questions with a great deal of thought. Keep searching for that exit!
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