It is imperative to know if you are reviewing a primary source when conducting research because it guarantees that the information you receive is relevant, accurate, and persuasive. It is especially important when you are receiving information or conducting research for a crucial academic project. A few observations that must be made includes finding out who the author is, determining when the information was published, how the information was received, where did the information come from, and is the author’s narrative legitimate.
Primary sources are original documents or forms of information provided at the moment to which a specific event occurs. I chose The Allegory of The Cave by Plato because in my opinion, differentiating and categorizing philosophers and their work as a primary or other source is as complicated as trying to understand their minds alone.
The main theme in The Allegory of The Cave is seeing the difficulties of accepting new truths in society. If you grew up knowing only one thing, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to believe anything else because it’s complicated or in this case too painful to accept. People would rather stay in a state of ignorance if it’s comfortable for them.
I see this analogy, written as a dialogue between Plato and his brother, and mentor, Socrates as a primary source. This analogy dives straight into the thoughts and interpretations of man’s purpose and reason for existence. Furthermore, in reading this dialogue, readers may even be able to obtain a better understanding on what was relevant when Plato had written this piece. At the time, philosophers were seen as a threat to their governments because it was believed that their intentions were to spread a message that would corrupt the minds of the youth and overtake those who had power. The man who leaves the cave in this story represents the philosophers at the time who were ridiculed and considered a threat for questioning things and trying to remove what was comfortable for society. As better clarified by Alex Gendler in his TED-Ed, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, “Most people are not just comfortable in their ignorance but hostile to anyone who points it out…” As a result, Plato was later brought to trial and later put to death for his outspokenness.
If we are to further focus on the struggles of philosophers in Greece, this analogy would be the most relevant, accurate, and persuasive primary source one could reference. Even Plato’s mentor, Socrates was accused of spreading a false message to youth for his own gain and wealth. He had found it difficult to defend himself because the very people who are accusing him of such behavior had so much power that even listening to him would offend the whole society because it’s not what they were taught. Listening to philosophers at the time was like looking at a burning fire and feeling the heat rather than just ignoring them and looking at the fire’s shadow and feeling its warmth. There’s a level of discomfort that comes with enlightenment in which Socrates and Plato tried to share. Socrates had even gone further on to defend himself by clarifying that he had not done any of his works for profit and did not neglect to acknowledge that the people who were accusing him were doing that very thing.
Though my intentions are not to form a persuasive essay on whether or not The Allegory of The Cave could be used as a primary source, it would be a great topic of debate in class and I’d be open to hearing how others would see it. Like newspapers, The Allegory of The Cave, when it was written, could’ve been easily considered a secondary source because it was entirely Plato’s observations and perception on the society he lived in. Today, however, his writing has become a primary source as we study Greek philosophers in our Historical Perspectives course because our focus was on philosophers in Greece, their place within the social structure of that time, and the impact they’ve made in history and our lives today. Philosophers impart newly discovered knowledge to people and anticipate their reactions to be embarrassed because the people realize their ignorance the fear of sharing their enlightenment with others because it can be painful, even more so when no one believes them.
Seeing is believing; and The Allegory of The Cave proves that statement that we, as a society, only see what we want to see and not what’s actually there. Similar to having faith and believing in God; even though you don’t see Him, it doesn’t mean He’s not there, and just because you don’t feel the burn means that there isn’t a fire. The allegory reminds us to stay open minded in society and to be aware of what’s going on around us because ignorance is blinding.
After establishing The Allegory of The Cave as a primary source, another question is how we can use such narratives and apply it to our lives today. I often ask this question to find relevance in the things I’m least interested in learning and the outcomes are usually preeminent points to be remembered outside of the classroom. So, does this make all antient books and narratives modern day primary sources? Not entirely. Again, distinguishing primary sources in ancient articles can be difficult and depends on what your focus is in your research.
Since my main focus is on how we interpreted and studied The Allegory of The Cave in our Historical Perspectives class, Plato’s analogy is an ideal example and representation of a primary source one can use to obtain a deeper understanding on philosophers, their lives, how their society is different from ours, and Greek governments may have been flawed. And though this narrative may be Plato’s personal analogy and interpretation on the society he lived in, I would still consider his work to be legitimate.