"Plato's Cave" (1604) by Jan Pietersz Saenredam after Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem
SUMMARY
While briefly enrolled in the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York, Alana Taije fulfilled a Literary Arts course with Professor Timothy Leonido. One of the first few weeks of discussion prompted discourse regarding Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' and John Carpenter's 1988 film, "They Live."
Using Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” [Prof.] Leonido states that “being exposed to the truth is too disruptive,” revolving around the concept that the upheaval of one’s past self is ‘bad’ and/or too intense for one to endure. [Prof.] Leonido refers to clips from John Carpenter's 1988 film, "They Live" to further emphasize how feelings of isolation and strife for authenticity are ‘not worth it’ in the grand scheme of things, since people typically function under false pretenses anyway.
Taije responds to this in opposition.
Points of Agreement
[Prof.] Leonido: disagrees w/ Plato.
“Everyone is always functioning under false premises.”
-
This is 100% true. Humans function on a falsified image of themselves and others, all projections of our inner anxieties. There is no stable version of the “self” or “others”, aside from the physical separation of “you” and “I.”
“There is no authentic self.”
-
Humans are like sponges and are forever changing, but that does not mean that it is healthy to stay stuck in old cycles and rely on projected concepts. False realities create false hopes, dreams, and expectations, which create limitations of the self and mind. Every person deserves to be free and truthful and knowledgeable, and everyone is capable of doing so to their own extent. Everyone has their own truths to live by; changing is normal and healthy.
“It makes no sense, everything is performative.”
-
Humans are performative creatures; there is no reason to shame the self for having to mask or layer versions of ‘me/you’, but everyone may recognize that these are results of societal conditioning and expectations/limitations. No one is obligated to behave certain ways in certain places unless they convince themselves it is that way (in American society, we are conditioned by our education system and cultural backgrounds, revolving around not questioning authority and submitting yourself to forms of higher powers); no one can change/control the perception of anyone but themselves. The pursuit of truth is for the whole and honest fulfillment of the self, which may be why it seems so useless and unfulfilling. Society has conditioned humans to function through our egos, targeting our need for audiences and complimentary feedback. When searching for truths, when digging hard into the self and uprooting core values and functions of the human experience, there is no one to support ‘you’ but you. [We] are conditioned to avoid our true selves, and to live for others’ approval, not for the joy and sake of ‘us’.
Points of Opposition
[Prof.] Leonido: emphasizes that ‘pulling someone away from what they’ve become accustomed to,’ would be to strip them of their very valuable knowledge that they’ve developed.. Who’s to say that just because they’re shadows that it’s worthless?’
“Why should someone be able to make these decisions for us?”
-
What you are accustomed to does not equal clarity or truth, and though it may be painful to understand, living in deceit and delusion is more harmful than being ‘enlightened’. Allowing yourself the option to grow rather than repeat the same mundane cycles is not at all abnormal and should be expected of humans; we are like sponges, forever absorbing and adapting [to] our environment as needed.
-
Only ‘you’ should be in charge of your conscious fate, unless you are incapable of doing so, due to [unique & debilitating conditions]. People deserve help when they need it, and should not be ‘controlled’ unless they are putting themselves or others at risk/danger.
“According to Plato, there is no reason to endure the pain of an ideal reality. Our world may consist of shadows, but these shadows provide structure, value, and beauty.”
-
No one can change your behaviors and beliefs except for you. Nature vs. Nurture.
-
You must want and deliberately seek change in order to do so. Living is based on false premises; knowledge leads to liberation and exploration of the self and the mind, but you must be willing.
“Knowledge [of evil] allows you to feel like/become a target… [you] become delirious, detached from people [you] are familiar with, [feeling] constantly irritated.”
-
Adjusting to truths is hard and feeling sane after having your reality ripped from beneath you is beyond what I may believe to be ‘hard’ or ‘tough’. Delirium and detachment are the least of one’s worries in what may feel like a presently illogical world.
“Why would he put on the glasses if it’s clear it’s only making him miserable?”
-
If one is hurting enough, they will do anything they can to seek out a higher form of truth/answers. Humans naturally yearn to feel tied to something far greater.
“The discovery of truth, in both Plato’s allegory and the film, is more destructive than beneficial.”
-
Who are you to decide what is beneficial and what isn’t? Although these characters endure duress and societal rejection, it may be for the greater good of themselves. Sometimes, being alone with the truth feels better than being coddled with lies.
“There is no ideal, authentic reality to search for… it’s not a tragedy to stay in the caves.”
-
To not want to grow, to not seek evolution seems a little stubborn and mundane, does it not? I believe it’s only natural for humans, and animals to say the least, to seek change, whether good or bad. How do you know you are happy with what you have, if never presented with more or less?
Q: Wouldn’t it make more sense if our hero had to remove the glasses in order to see the truth? Because, then, he would be seeing the world with his own eyes? Like the prisoner who discovers his own capacity to see the truth?
-
No[t necessarily]. In the film clips of "They Live" [Prof.] Leonido provided, the glasses seemed to be allowing clarity, both metaphorically and literally, to the world John Carpenter’s protagonist had been desensitized by. His own eyes had already been conditioned and numbed to capitalistic society, whereas in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, the prisoner was physically neglected and needed to have his environment changed and physically shown the light. Both characters had realities unveiled, but in different forms, as every person needs different aid in their individual journeys of enlightenment. People learn and grow differently; some need to be ripped from their roots and some need to be given the tools to enlighten themselves, and that is okay, and that is normal.
-
Regarding the detachment and resentment others/the individual may feel, that is typical and necessary for growth and evolution as well. It is more than difficult to ‘pretend’ to fit into a setting that no longer serves [you]. After being shown transformative truths, your inner and outward perspectives shift, as well as your external and internal realities. The resentment/rejection others may display toward the individual may be projected feelings of insignificance they experience on their own. Shifting is normal; resentment is an expected reaction of intense growth. The benefit is finding your true self, whoever it is at the moment of discovery, and feeling comfortable in the unbreakable truths that cannot leave you broken and scarred, as lies and illusions do.