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Rachel Kline
September 29, 2015
Maya Alapin
ENGL-220-023
The Importance of Education
It is usually said that education is the key to success. This saying amplifies the
focus on success and hinders the complexity of education. In The Allegory of the Cave,
Plato exploits darkness, intermediacy and enlightenment to demonstrate education as a
complex journey of achieving knowledge. Should we seek new knowledge continuously
throughout our lifetime? Do we need to be well educated in order to survive life as we
know it? These curiosities are still pondered about today when we think about the
importance of education.
It is said by many that we should continuously seek new knowledge throughout our
lifetime; as well as there is no such thing as just enough education.
I changed this because I had too many questions I felt like. My whole introduction
was full of hooks but I feel with this sentence the reader will be able to
understand what I am writing about more clearly.

The allegory of the cave tells us what education is about. In the cave, the
citizens never see "reality" they only get to see the shadows on the wall that the forms
walking behind them cast from the light the firs casts. Of course, they have never seen
anything else, so they think the forms are reality. They are chained so they cannot look

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behind them or gain any insight from those around them who also suspect that the
shadows are reality and make more noise than sense. If one of them can break free into
the light of day, that person (the philosopher) may then be able to come back into the
cave to enlighten the other citizens about what reality is. However, the message wont
be communicated well because there will definitely be a communication barrier that
interferes.
The purpose of education is the same. Although there are many intermediate
goals (facts to be learned, skills to be mastered), the ultimate goal of education is to
move us out of the cave, out of the darkness within ourselves and into the light of
knowledge. Education leads us to question facts, to seek new information, to question
old assumptions, and to move closer to the "truth" than students and teachers were
before.
Through exploring the allegory of the cave, the first stage of education is
darkness, where knowledge is obstructed. Plato high lights this point and writes, The
men have been chained foot and neck since childhood. The chains keep them in place
and prevent them from turning their heads so that they only see forward. Light comes to
them from fire burning at a distance above and behind them. (Plato 175) When the
prisoners are in the darkness, this symbolizes their ignorance and lack knowledge.
Although there is always a way that leads to gaining knowledge, there are obstacles that
prevent the prisoners from pursuing knowledge.
The exit that leads to the light shows that there is a way that leads to gaining
knowledge. The legs and necks being bound demonstrates the obstacles that are

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preventing the prisoners from pursuing knowledge which limits them to be short sighted
and only see what is before them. As Plato points out, since the prisoners have never
seen anything else in their lives, they take these shadows to be reality. Plato's point is
that, most people in the world are really no different than the prisoners in the cave. We
usually live unenlightened which makes us no different than the prisoners in the cave.
When one of the prisoners is released, the prisoner is blinded by what he sees and can't
accept the reality of three-dimensional objects in the world. Finally, though, as his eyes
and mind become accustomed to things in the world outside the cave, he comes to see
reality for what it really is. He feels sorry for his fellow prisoners in the cave who still
live in a world of illusion. (Barnes, Stephen par. 5:2-5)
Enlightenment symbolizes a phase where knowledge is gained and one is
completely informed. As we go through life and mature, we acquire more and more
knowledge every day without being conscious of it. Nancy Protheroe discusses in her
article about how children learn, which relates to Platos The Allegory of the Cave by
the prisoners learning something new for the first time. Nancy informs us that Learners
of all ages discover meaning by making connections. (Protheroe, Nancy 41) Learners
can always continue to seek knowledge for themselves by making connections.
So to answer the question given before about if people should seek knowledge
continuously throughout their lifetime, our brains already do so unconsciously from a
very young age. When it comes down to us seeking knew knowledge for a certain
career field or just to learn more about something, it will indeed make you have greater
knowledge. The first time we are introduced to formal education is in school. The
school years are the grounding years of one's education. Schools are institutions that lay

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the foundation of a child's development. They play a key role in developing children
into responsible citizens and good human beings. It's a school where young talent is
recognized and nurtured. On leaving school, we are all set to soar high in life, and enter
the real world in pursuit of our dreams. Education provides us with knowledge about
the world. It paves the way for a good career. It helps build character. It leads to
enlightenment.
A direct effect of education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of
the world around. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us form
opinions and develop a point of view. The information we are constantly bombarded
with, cannot be converted into knowledge without the education. Education makes us
capable of interpreting things rightly and applying the gathered information in real life
scenarios. Education is not limited to lessons from textbooks. Real education is obtained
from the lessons taught by life.
Education is important because it equips us with the expertise that is needed in
helping us realize our career goals. Expertise is an in-depth knowledge about a specific
field and it is bound to open doors to brilliant career opportunities. Education fetches
better prospects of career growth. Good education is an eligibility criterion for
employment in any sector of the industry. Be it any field, education always proves to be
rewarding. We are weighed in the market on the basis of our educational skills and on
how well we can apply them.
Education paves the path to disillusionment. It wipes out the wrong beliefs from
our minds. It helps create a clear picture of things around, and erases all the confusion.
It kindles the flame of curiosity and helps awaken the abilities to question, and to

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reason. The more we learn, the more questions we have, and without questions, there
are no answers. Education teaches us to find answers. It makes us more self-aware. It
leads us to enlightenment.
Education helps individuals build character. When we acquire the basic
schooling from elementary school we begin to build our character. Education is
important as it teaches us the right behavior and good manners, thus making us
civilized. It is the basis of culture and civilization. It is instrumental in the development
of our values and virtues. Education cultivates us into mature individuals; individuals
capable of planning for the future, and taking the right decisions in life. It gives us an
insight into living, and teaches us to learn from experience. It makes us self-confident,
and develops our abilities to think, analyze, and judge. It fosters principles of equality
and socialism. It forms a support system for one to excel in life. It is the backbone of
society. It won't be wrong to say that good education makes us more human.
Many people believe that seeking knowledge isnt intended for them because of
a lack of interest. Seeking knowledge is a personal preference, however, at the end of it
all what matters is how the individual feels about themselves and if they are content
with the basic knowledge of life, so be it. The necessary education in order to survive is
the common sense and street smarts which we all acquire from living. Platos belief
about education from what I perceived was that education should be sought out. Plato
uses the metaphor of the cave to show us exactly how important education is. In order
to live life, we have to have to be educated even if that means jumping a little bit out of
your comfort zone. School isnt for everyone; that has been proven. However, it is
extremely important to at least get the basic knowledge that we need on a day to day

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basis and still be willing to learn more! Plato writes, .....down you must go into, each
in turn to your cave and accustom yourselves to viewing things of darkness, once you
do you will see them infinitely better..."(Plato 180) This is inferring to the reader that if
we dont get the education that we need, we might as well be banished into a cave to
seek the importance of education and learning.

Works Cited
Barnes, Stephen. "Teaching Plato's Cave." Questions: Philosophy for Young People 2
(2002): 6. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA166239654&v=2.1&u=albu78484&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=b13621b56a2d
184e44d595026d89d19c
Protheroe, Nancy. "How Children Learn." Principal 86.5 (2007): 40-44. Education
Research Complete. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
URL
https://www.naesp.org/resources/2/Principal/2007/M-Jp40.pdf
Huard, Roger L. Plato's Political Philosophy : The Cave. New York: Algora Publishing,
2007. eBook Community College Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
URL http://libproxy.unm.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=185596&site=eds-live&scope=site