Comparing Plato's Allegory Of The Cave And The Book Of Job

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Those who possess great knowledge are often praised among society. They are viewed as leaders of the future as they assume the raw knowledge will lead us towards a greater life. While the ignorant eyes focus on the intelligent, the wise become overlooked. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” portrays how philosophers struggle with others as they are often ignored or shunned for their different views. The “Book of Job” from the Old Testament also shows the ignorance that is apparent in the world as common people tend to stick to what they know. While the “Book of Job” focuses on an allegorical story of learning to live in the fear of God, it also shows the importance of understanding the complexity of life. People live in ignorance, because our leaders live in ignorance. For the people to move toward a better future of understanding and prosperity, leaders should be wise and articulate in the subject of philosophy. Plato argues for the idea of philosopher kings as he mentions in The Republic, from which the “Allegory of the Cave” comes from. In the story, the other prisoners that have …show more content…

In the first lines of the “Book of Job,” Job is described as a “perfect and upright” man. In the “Allegory of the Cave,” once the escaped prisoner finds out about what life truly is, he goes back to the other prisoners to share his beliefs. Sharing wisdom is what philosophers love to do. The people that contain wisdom about the world tend to enjoy spreading it around, and it sometimes even becomes their ultimate goal in life. The best thing about a wise and philosophical leader is his lack of selfishness and corruption. Job and the escaped prisoner do not seek power, but rather wisdom. Even when Job was completely stripped of the wealth he had, he does no shun God immediately as normal people would. By having these wise leaders, then no longer will leaders act for the benefit of themselves, but rather for the better of the

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