that has not yet been applied properly.
Understanding Reality: Critical Thinking Engaged Objectively, The Emergence of a Leader
Socrates finally asked Glaukon: what if the
prisoner were to be forcibly dragged out of the cave to the open sky above? Wouldn’t the prisoner experience something of the same when confronted by the sun, being at first unable to see much beyond outlines of shadow but then, as his eyes adjusted, he would be able to see the sun and stars not as phantoms but as they really are. Seeing things as they truly are, the prisoner would be able to reason his way to the truth, thereby gaining understanding – for example, by first feeling pity for and then empathy with his fellow prisoners who remained bound to their illusions.
In this instance, the individual would experience something like he did when first blinded by seeing fire. But in the context of a much larger space, his eyes would not be engulfed by darkness but light. And as the eyes adjusted, he would see other things in light: stars and the heaven in which they exist. The individual would then start to reason, engaging critical thinking skills to comprehend the context within which he resided and thereby understand that things beyond the shadows existed which he could see as they really are and embrace the fact things were other than he first thought.
The individual would thus realize there were worlds beyond the cave and things beyond the chains that held him in place. He would be able to think, move, and do as he please – which is the very definition of freedom. But in doing so, he could not help but think of those others still left in the cave who were not free. He would, as was said, feel pity for them and through empathy desire to enlighten them as well, returning to the cave to do so (remember this experience, when we later discuss the experience of Derek Black).
But for now, think again of Socrates' explanation, as this becomes important for later discussions: when presenting his ideas to those still living in the shadows, he would be teased and mocked and told that he wasted his time because the sun he described was nothing more than the fire they all experienced. However, because he experienced freedom and learned what was its cause, he would not reject them or work to coerce them. He knew, having ‘truthfully’ seen what was ‘right and beautiful,’ that having experience the ‘Idea of the Good’ he was able to align his character accordingly. From this alignment, he then was able to understand it was possible to discover things by oneself. He would also logically conclude that others equally had within themselves the similar ability to align their character with their inner vision – but that it might also take some time to do so as it did with him.
He would thus engage in the craft of education, as a teacher or leader, to help others realize they had the capacity within themselves to learn. Moreover, understanding though he had himself been forced out of the cave into the sunlight by others, he would also know that such force would no longer be necessary because he could testify to the fact people could think and learn for themselves. Consequently, if any coercion were necessary – say, because people simply would not believe what he had to say – then he would use the type of rhetoric that focused on truth so to appeal to one’s soul, not the improper rhetoric that coerced people into believing what was false. It would be an ethical response to experiences, a learning and learned response, that considers the situations and environments within which people might have been born, so that they might, too, move beyond those experiences and environments to set themselves free.
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Graphic left,
Courtesy of:
tiburi &
pixabay
tiburi
tiburi