Plato's Cave

What we see is what we believe. Infinite visuals are presented to our eyes at any given point in time, each presenting its own version of the truth, but our brains aren’t equipped to recognize these gaps in reality. We tend to accept what we see without questioning its authenticity. Though this phenomenon appears with everything that we see, it becomes most prevalent with photography.

Though photographs subtly claim to reveal a still image of what we define as “real,” their authenticity can be reworked in several different ways. One obvious example would be in programs like Photoshop, Lightroom, or Picnik where with a few well-placed layers, frogs can be cut in half and reveal kiwi insides, or slices can be taken out of the shell of a turtle as if it was a chocolate cake.

Speaking of our definition of “real,” what does that actually mean? According to Webster real means to be “not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory : genuine, also : being precisely what the name implies.” While this definition is fairly concise and straightforward, it does little to mention the discrepancies between what two different people would consider to be artificial, fraudulent, or illusory. Reality is relative, which is why photography can lie so well. 

Many good photographers will take hundreds of pictures of the same subject before being satisfied. They then choose the ones that they feel look the best or present their best skill, not the ones that most accurately represent even their own version of reality. Even after being filtered in that way, the artist can then present the photos in certain ways that draw the viewer’s eyes to certain details, therefore doubly altering the authenticity.

The connection between photography and Plato’s cave exists because in both circumstances, people see only a representation of the truth. Be it a shadow or an image on paper, Plato and Sontag both make the point that unless we are able to see the actual forms being depicted, we can’t fully understand the situation. 

Sontag even goes as far as to say that photos are “attempts to lay claim to another reality.” As if we almost feel that if we see the photograph, we have lived that moment and have gained life experience from it.  A different interpretation of her quote might be shown through people’s Facebooks. Through the pictures that we choose to put on, and the pictures that we choose to be tagged in, we are effectively attempting to lay claim to whatever personality we choose. Depending on the style that we depict to others through our shallow image of ourselves on Facebook, we are seen differently.

Despite the chapter’s general attitude that pictures are often given more credit than they deserve, they have been used to positively promote thousands of social causes. Though they indeed only represent part of the truth, sometimes it is that added dramatic effect is what ends up getting people’s real attention. They’re highly influential in the way that people react to things, regardless of authenticity. 

Another reassuring part of photography is its ability to remain even after an event is long past. They live on, acting almost as a pseudo memory of an important moment in someone’s life. They indicate that the photographer had an interest in the moment staying as it is. This is why when children are rarely photographed, it almost hints at the fact that their parents might slightly neglect them. Almost as though they don’t value their children enough to want to remember them at every stage in their lives, and so photographing them becomes a kind of obligation. The same goes for tourists in exotic or unknown places. It’s almost too much for them to just absorb their surroundings, they feel the need to record what they see for future reference, whether to brag about their adventures or remember them.

Photos represent a part of knowledge, a part of wisdom, but they never encapture what the entire situation was like. Photographs are now a part of our daily lives, and are used for infinite purposes. They aren’t going anywhere, and nor should they. The one thing that we must learn to do in order to responsibly live amongst this sea of images is to recognize that no matter what they may seem like, pictures are still simply an image of the truth and nothing more.