Introduction:
The famous Platonic Epistemology says that knowledge is inborn and that learning is just a process of harnessing that existing knowledge. It also mentions that developing those ideas that are buried deep within one’s soul can only be done by some kind of inquisitor. Basically, this epistemology implies that when a person finishes learning about a particular subject, the knowledge hence obtained is something which is just recalled and not newly created.

Plato had a very clear definition and distinction for knowledge and opinion. He said that knowledge is certain and opinion is nothing but a version of speculation. Opinions are derived and changed according to the transforming world of sensations and knowledge is something that is derived from forms or essences. In Plato’s work, Republic, the above mentioned concepts were highlighted using the metaphors, the divided line, the sun, and the allegory of the cave.

The First Metaphor; the Sun:

In his Republic, Plato makes use of the metaphor, sun because it could be used to indicate the source of intellectual illumination, which he believed to be the Form of Good. This metaphor speaks about the ultimate truth of nature and how a person grows to know it. The concept begins with the human eye, which Plato rates to be the most unusual of all the human sense organs because it needs a particular medium to function appropriately; the medium being light. As is common knowledge, the sun is the best possible source of light available to mankind. It is because of the sun that we, as humans, are able to see everything around us so clearly. Therefore, the Form of Good is very necessary in order to understand why certain things are what they are.

The Second Metaphor; the Divided Line:

In the Republic, Plato mentions that the divided line has two parts. The two parts symbolize the intelligent world and the smaller visible real world respectively. The segments within the part that denotes the intelligent world represent the lower and higher forms while the segments in the other part represent the objects and their respective shadows in the real and visible world around us. By dividing things in such a manner, Plato explains the stark difference between the two different worlds and the differences in their respective truths and realities.

The Third Metaphor; the Allegory of the Cave:

Within the Republic, Plato managed to draw a detailed comparison between human sensations and the shadows that pass on the walls when someone passes by. This allegory is called the Platonic Allegory of the Cave.

Description: Plato’s epistemology speaks of the basic fundamentals mankind. It says that all the knowledge gained by a human being in one lifetime is something that is recalled and not something that is newly created.