Deep Dive into a Individuals & Societies Class: Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”

By Michael J. Knox and Kirstjen Pollock, MYP Individuals & Societies Teachers

Have you ever heard of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”? It’s a powerful story that challenges us to think about how we see the world and what it means to understand "reality." In this Middle Years Program (MYP) Individuals & Societies (I&S) class, students recently explored the allegory, diving deep into questions of perspective, curiosity, and selfdiscovery.

The class began with a hands-on activity in photography, where students practiced capturing everyday scenes from different angles. Just as a camera lens shifts to reveal new details, curiosity can help us see life from fresh perspectives. Inspired by this, students reflected on Plato’s story about prisoners who only know the shadows on a cave wall, until one day, one person escapes and sees the real world outside. Guided by the question, How does curiosity allow us to shift or expand our perspective, and ultimately help us to escape “the cave”? students reflected on how curiosity shapes their own thinking. Their responses highlight personal journeys, small yet profound shifts in understanding, and, at times, moments of wonder that light the path out of their own “caves.”

Emory Son - Grade 8

Curiosity allows us to escape the cave because curiosity is the key to learning and thinking, which therefore leads to the discovery of the ability of the ways in which we can escape our cave. Firstly, curiosity leads to positive skepticism which is the key to positive doubt, which is needed for questioning the reality in which we live. By questioning our own cave and our beliefs, we can escape using our new-found knowledge. In class, we discussed the ways to escape from our caves. Our caves trap us in a restricted world, however when we escape our caves we are free. One way to potentially escape our cave is to strive for the love of learning - philosophy. Curiosity leads to philosophy, and philosophy leads to curiosity. Both are good for escaping our cave. This is because philosophy leads to massive sums of knowledge, which helps us to find all of the ways to escape our cave. Thirdly, curiosity IS learning and thinking, and questioning. Learning, thinking, and questioning things are what’s needed to potentially escape our cave. Therefore, curiosity is needed to escape our cave. Fourthly, curiosity leads to knowledge, which helps us shift our perspective on our cave and find ways to escape it. Shifting our perspective helps us see new ways to potentially escape our cave. Without the concepts and understandings of curiosity, we will never be able to find a way out of our constricting cave.

A potential counter argument would be that curiosity can either lead to positive or negative skepticism. Negative skepticism raises negative doubt, which leads to mistrust, suspicion, and denialism. However, negative skepticism can still be useful for escaping our cave. The theory of questioning is one of the best ways to escape our cave. Therefore, curiosity is always necessary to escape our cave. A second potential counter argument could be that even though knowledge is required to escape the cave, there are also potential pieces of knowledge that will stop you from escaping the cave - for example, incorrect pieces of information, or fictional stories that blend into fact. Negative pieces of knowledge are ever-present in our current lives and especially the cave. But skepticism and doubt will question the knowledge, and common sense can be applied to still positively gain useful knowledge and to further attempt to escape our cave. To conclude, curiosity allows us to escape the cave because curiosity is the key to learning and thinking, which therefore leads to the discovery of the ability of the ways in which we can escape our cave.

Juha Lee - Grade 8

Curiosity is essential; without curiosity, it’s hard for people to be creative if they don’t wonder. I think curiosity allows us to expand our perspective. For example, I took a photo with my group. And it looked like I was holding another person’s head. In the picture, I looked five times bigger than that person. If you think about it, am I five times bigger than him? Or is it just an optical illusion? If you look at the picture and do not wonder about it, you will likely believe I’m five times bigger than that person. To explain this, if you are curious about something suspicious, you might find the truth that many people have not found out. People nowadays all have similar perspectives, so it is almost impossible to find the truth. They just need to believe what other people believe. However, the 1% who wonder will eventually discover the truth.

In conclusion, we must stay curious and keep wondering about things throughout our lives, or we will get stuck in a cave. You are stuck in the cave; you need to live an unhappy life and believe what others believe, and you get tricked. The “allegory of the cave” is one example that can be used; in the story, it shows us how the prisoners in the cave do not know that they are in the cave and live a happy life there. They do not wonder! If they had wonder something will chance. Their perspective, they would see the world differently and realize that they are in the cave.

It is not an easy thing to change your perspective. However, if you do not change it and live like others, you will eventually get stuck in the cave too. You need to wonder and stay curious about everything. Your life will be happier, and your perspective will change.

Jemma Synn - Grade 8

Curiosity, defined by Oxford Languages as “a strong desire to want to know or learn something.” Technically, this definition is correct, but at its core, curiosity is about opening ourselves up to new possibilities, challenging our beliefs, and expanding our perspective. Curiosity is a fundamental component of escaping “the cave,” a metaphor used in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as a symbolic representation of the ignorance and limited view of reality that humans are oblivious to everyday. When we are curious and venture outside of our usual boundaries, we can discover diverse viewpoints and perspectives that deepen our knowledge of the world outside of our Cave.

We explored the concept of perspective through photography in eighth grade Individuals & Societies. In groups of three to five, we were able to ‘trick’ the camera lens into seeing false depictions of reality through factors such as scale, depth, and color. Although it may look like someone’s foot is about to step on ten people’s heads, this is an image that our team manufactured. However, if I were to look at this image for the very first time, I would not know this. I could either take this image at face value and accept that giants exist, or I could be doubtful, skeptical, and question the true reality behind this image, encouraging exploration through research, conversation, or even hands-on experimenting. Ultimately this process leads to discovery and knowledge, which is also why asking questions is at the core of the scientific method. If one always feels that they are 100% certain about everything, there would be no need to further explore alternate explanations of observations.

I have also had several personal stories that have demonstrated the use of curiosity to change my point of view and gain new knowledge. One that I want to highlight in particular is my experience with robotics. This is currently my third year on a competitive robotics team, but I still remember the first time that I watched a competition in third grade. I was amazed at how a pile of parts could turn into a working, drivable robot. At first, I was overwhelmed by that but I soon realized robots are made up of multiple subsystems and it is easy to simplify and reduce complexity by breaking each component down and designing each of them separately. The same can be said for many other things in our daily lives, such as cars, video games, and even the internet. If I hadn’t been curious I would have never changed my perspective on pursuing robotics.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave teaches us to question what we see, to be curious, and to challenge our perspectives. Not only does curiosity allow for deeper understanding of staged photographs and new activities, it is what allows us to step out of our caves of initial misconceptions and broaden our perspectives to better connect with ourselves, the world around us, and others.

Davin Park - Grade 8

Curiosity enables us to shift and expand our perspective, helping us to escape our limited viewpoints or “the cave,” as described in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” In our photography activity during I&S class, we played with perspectives by taking photos where it looked like someone was being cut by a scissor that the cameraman was holding, which questions the viewer’s sense of size and dimension. This activity demonstrates how curiosity invites us to see things differently. By exploring new angles and framing, we break free from ordinary ways of seeing the world. It’s not just about the final photo; it’s about asking, “What if?” This shows how curiosity in life helps us go against reality and discover new perspectives. A simple observation, like seeing a rainbow, can lead to deeper questions. Why does a rainbow form? How do the colors appear? When people ask these questions, we can research the scientific process of light refraction and dispersion through water droplets. Curiosity transforms a beautiful phenomenon into an opportunity to understand spectroscopy, which is the study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. This shows how curiosity expands our perspective from a limited understanding to a more complete view and prompts us to learn more.

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, the freed prisoner ventures into the world beyond the cave, driven by his curiosity, which becomes a pivotal moment in his life. The freed prisoner represents how curiosity helps us escape our narrow ways of thinking. By being curious, we move from seeing only shadows (a limited reality) to understanding the world. This demonstrates that curiosity is the key to expanding one’s perspective. Some might argue that curiosity can lead to confusion or misunderstanding, as people often question things they cannot easily explain or grasp. While it’s true that curiosity can sometimes cause uncertainty, this process of questioning is essential for growth. Even if answers aren’t immediate, curiosity pushes us to seek deeper understanding, which broadens our perspectives rather than limiting them.

Others might suggest that staying within our comfort zones, like the prisoners in the cave, is safer and more familiar, avoiding the discomfort that comes with challenging our perspectives. While comfort zones may feel comfortable, they also keep us stuck. By choosing curiosity, we embrace the discomfort of learning and growth. Like the prisoner who escapes the cave, curiosity allows us to see the world as it is, making the temporary discomfort worthwhile for a more meaningful understanding of reality. Curiosity allows us to expand our perspectives, just as the freed prisoner in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” learns to see the world beyond the shadows. Whether through playful activities like photography or exploring the science behind natural phenomena, curiosity challenges us to break free from our limited views and see the world in its true complexity.

Seoyoon Jin - Grade 8

Three prisoners are trapped in a cave, arms chained in front of a wall. Ignorant of the external world, they only see manipulated shadows of objects behind them. As these shadows are the only accessible explanation of the world they inhabit, these prisoners espouse a false reality centered around these shadows. This is Plato’s allegory of the cave. While this allegory seems nonsensical, many parallels can be found in our own lives. Social media, one would argue, is a “cave.” Just like how the prisoners are misled by the shadows to believe in a limited, ignorant world view, social media misleads users, through inaccurate information and lack of other perspectives , to believe in misconceptions. All of us are in a cave, one way or another. Fortunately, there are many ways to escape this state of ignorance that we call the “cave.” Philosophy, skepticism, and the scientific method are all pursuits of knowledge that aid in avoiding a limited perspective. However, there is one particular method that I will be introducing—curiosity.

On a dull Saturday afternoon, bored, I found myself scrolling through Youtube’s never-ending columns of videos. Amidst my browsing, I came across a video of the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump—aired the day prior. After watching the video, I was swamped with an overwhelming deluge of pro-Trump videos on my page. As I skimmed through these videos, I noticed that none of these videos displayed both political perspectives. Instead, they constantly promoted certain ideals of Trump and rebuked that of the other candidate. As I delved deeper, this became even more true. The algorithm kept providing me videos of the same nature, refusing to expose me to any videos that were pro-Harris, nor middle ground. Out of pure curiosity to learn more, I deliberately scouted for videos that supported Harris.

But while I have successfully been exposed to the other perspective, I was again faced with similar patterns: the algorithm thrusting me into rabbit holes of pro-Harris videos, once again, refusing to expose me to the opposite perspective. Only once I had immersed myself into the extremes of the two political sides, I realized that both were a “cave.” Each one, pushing me further and further into believing a certain notion. By means of curiosity, I was able to pursue other political perspectives, expanding my world view. If I did otherwise, the algorithm would have entrapped me in a limited, ignorant outlook. Through this curiosity and subsequently the pursuit of other perspectives, I was able to thwart ignorance. Therefore, through curiosity, we can escape the “cave.”

Plato And Allegory Of The Cave

Plato, a foundational ancient Greek philosopher and student of Socrates, wrote extensively on topics like ethics, politics, and the nature of reality. His "Allegory of the Cave," part of The Republic, is one of his most famous works. In it, prisoners live chained in a dark cave, seeing only shadows on the wall cast by objects behind them. For them, these shadows are the entire reality. One day, a prisoner escapes and discovers the outside world, realizing that the shadows were mere illusions. This allegory represents the journey from ignorance to knowledge, showing how curiosity and open-mindedness help us see a more complete reality, encouraging us to question accepted truths and seek deeper understanding.