1. Socrates asks Glaucon to suppose that one of the prisoners is freed and leaves the cave (p. 242 section 515d). What happens to the prisoner when he gets outside? Why does this happen to the prisoner?
Glaucon says that if the people in the cave were to be let loose, that they wouldn't be able to handle it. They wouldn't believe that what they were seeing all their lives in the cave was a lie. They would need to be driven out of the cave by force if they wanted to let them go.
2. Socrates states that the prisoners would try to kill anyone who tries to liberate them and lead them out of the cave (pp. 243 – 244 section 517a). Why would the prisoners kill someone who is trying to lead them outside?
They believe that everything they need is in the cave and that there's no reason to leave. They believe anything that is showed to them through shadows.
3. While reading pages 243-244 (section 517) keep in mind that the cave represents the way society actually is, while the sun (visible outside the cave) represents knowledge that could make for a better society. Don’t let the wording confuse you, Socrates sometimes calls the outside “the intelligible region” and associates it with “the divine.”
What is special about “the intelligible region” and why is it important for public servants/political leaders (p. 244 section 517 b and e) ?
The intelligible region controls all of truth and intelligence.
4. What is wrong with having uneducated people run society? What is wrong with having intellectuals (i.e. well-educated people) run society (p. 323 section 519c)?
It would be bad of course because the uneducated people would be making crappy laws and runnin the society with strange and non-educational rules. Anyone who knows anything about anything would know not to put someone with no education in a high class in society.
5. On pp. 323 – 324 (section 519 section d – section 520) Socrates tells Glaucon what the “job” of a lawmaker is. What is the job of a lawmaker and how is a lawmaker supposed to influence the best minds?
I don't think I got the full packet because mine is missing those pages, but if I had to guess I'd say a lawmakers job is to make the shadow puppets? =
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