One cannot be taught to be wise. He may be pointed in the right direction but ultimately it is by his own will that he can become enlightened. In Plato’s Allegory, he describes the world as those who are enlightened and those who are unenlightened. The unenlightened are confined to see only what they are dictated to see and nothing beyond it; shadows of the world. To them these shadows are the truth. One who is enlightened is free from these confines and must make the hard journey to see the world in light. The transition is not instantaneous and it takes time to adjust his thought, or eyes as Socrates puts it, into this new and true perspective. During this transition, one who is enlightened, cannot teach or lead those who are not. He will be ridiculed and rejected.
However it is his duty to have his eyes fully adjust to the full light and color of the world. It is his obligation to demonstrate his full awareness of wisdom by showing the way to those who wish to learn and become enlightened themselves. Those enlightened must not detach themselves from the world of those who are not. They must continue to learn about the world if they are to properly govern it, for those who are unenlightened could never govern themselves without conflict.
This is basically my understanding of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” I too believe that people cannot be taught to be wise. College is only a foundation to give us the best push in the right direction. It is up to us to seek the real answers of this society we have created for ourselves.
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