Plato's Allegory of the Cave: A fable for our time
After describing the shock the prisoners would feel if they were to turn around and see fire that caused the shadows, Plato intones, wouldn’t they “resist this new knowing?” He portrays one prisoner, who had escaped earlier, and returned to the cave having an understanding “that the sun was in some way the cause of all he used to see.” Plato imagines the prisoners ridiculing his struggle to see in the cave, so much that if he persists, “would they not laugh or grow angry and even try to kill him?”
We are at such an impasse now. ‘Shadowy’ images appear every day, every hour, on cable news and social media in the form of mis- and disinformation. Despite feeling threatened, those of us seeking to find reality inside these ‘alternative facts’ persist. Unless we find truth and seek to live by it, what we value and cherish will be swept away.
Every day, our country is being dismantled. Teachers are being threatened, many of them choosing to leave. Our children deserve an education that educates, that gives them factual knowledge, understanding, armed with critical thinking skills to take into their futures. Teachers deserve the support necessary in their classrooms to give their all for their students. With support, they will be more likely to stay in their classrooms.
