Thinking Outside the Box

Plato and Sartre both have different views on philosophy and personal limitations of thought. To be perfectly honest, I would not consider myself the best philosophy critic; I wouldn't even say I understand it half the time, but here's my thoughts on the two ideas. Both stories symbolized closed mindedness. In The Allegory of The Cave, the prisoners believe the shadows formed on the walls of the cave are reality. It is only the prisoners that escape and seek freedom who ended up experiencing reality. Most of the prisoners became comfortable in there chains and didn't wonder what went on in the outside world. They were happy and comfortable in their safe perception of reality. The allegory really made me think, what if what we live in really isn't reality? What if what we live day to day is only our perception of reality? Is it possible that this is all just a dream filled with characters and events our own minds create? The consideration of these possibilities is complex and even a bit unsettling.

While the prisoners in the cave have no idea of what exists in the outside world, the characters in No Exit know what they are missing. The difference is, in the cave the prisoners are forced to come to terms with the reality beyond, while in the room the prisoner are forced to come to terms with the reality within themselves. Which is worse?