What is the relation between the divided line and the allegory of the Essay

What is the relation between the divided line and the allegory of the cave from Books 6 and 7 of the Republic Do you find this to be an accurate representation of the process of learning - Essay Example According to Plato, the bottom two; imagination and belief, can be perceived as simple opinions and are different from one person to another (Baird 500-520). The two are found in the physical world and are discoverable through senses that can be mistaken making the truth that is associated with these two vary form one person to another. The next two, which are understanding and reason, are in existence to seek truths in the meta-physical world making them collectively true. The type of truth associated with understanding included that of mathematics, maxims along with definitions, and even though they are artificial, they are questioned. The best way to achieve truth of knowledge is through reason which actively questions issues in the environment. In Plato’s view, reasoning brings understanding of the forms and forms possess the ultimate truth. Plato implies that goodness and love are products of reason but this love is not identical to the kind of love that is perceived in the present day. Love as explained by Plato is the desire for something that is not possessed, and this motivates people to get what they do not have. The allegory of the cave explains the route one must take in order to achieve this knowledge and how individuals are bound in the cave of imagination where the shadows that are on the walls are the truths. The people who create the shadows are those in positions of power who have the belief that they are conversant with the truth and attempt to utilise it in corrupting the masses into giving them more power. Fire stands for an imperfect good while love represents a self-good that is supposed to bring more power to them. An individual inside the cave should be able to see further than the shadows and turn in the direction of the fire while identifying that the objects seen in the hands of the puppeteer may seem true but are not actually true. When a person leaves the cave, he will be blinded by the