In the Allegory of the Cave, Socrates suggests that, without philosophical education, we are all like the prisoners in the cave. What are your thoughts on this? How is philosophy supposed to be liberating? Do you think Socrates is right to be so pessimistic about life without philosophy?

I agree with Socrates. We truly are like prisoners in the cave. We would be walking around like horses with blinders on. The thing that makes us one up from animals is our power of thought. Us humans like to wonder about "why?" and "what"  we are curious creatures by nature. Without philosophy we would be stuck in a world I would rather not live in. I am thankful for philosophers like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that changed our views for the better. We needed these "gadflies".

I think philosophy is liberating when it comes to your thoughts and ways of thinking. It frees your mind from captivity of common basic thoughts and allows you to explore thoughts you never had. You question your thoughts over and over. 

Yes I do think Socrates has a right to feel this way. Can you imagine a world with no philosophy? No one questioning truth or beliefs of others? A lot of great things has come from people standing up and questioning others beliefs. Can you think of any?