Plato's Allegory Of The Cave
Posted: 18 Jun 2018 00:08
Plato's allegory of the cave is perhaps the best-known of his metaphors, allegories, and myths. The allegory is told
and interpreted at the beginning of Book VII of " The Relublic" (514a-520). The allegory is probably best presented
as a story, and then interpreted--as Plato himself does.
The Allegory
Imagine prisoners chained since childhood deep inside a cave. Not only are their limbs immobilised by the chains,
their heads are as well so that their eyes are fixed on a wall. Behind the prisoners is an enormous fire, and
between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised wall,along which carry shapes of various animals, plants.
and other things. The shapes cast shadows on the wall, which occupy the prisoners attention. Also, when one of
the shape-carriers speaks, an echo against the wall causes the prisoners to believe that the words come from
shadows. The prisoners engage in what appears to us a game--naming th shapes as they come by. This, however,
is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images.
Suppose. prisoner is released and compelled to stand up and turn around, his eyes will be blinded by the firelight,
and the shapes passing will appear less real than their shadows. Similarly, if he is dragged up out of the cave into
sunlight, his eyes will be blinded that he will not be able to see anything. At first, he will be able to see darker shapes
such as shadows and only later brighter and brighter objects.
The last object he would be able to see is the sun.
Plato's metaphor of the sun
Once enlightened, so to speak,my he freed prisoner would no doubt want to return to the cave to free "his fellow
bondsmen". The problem however is that they would not want to be freed; descending back into the cave would
require that the freed prisoner's eyesight adjust again, and for a time he would be inferior at the ludicrous process of
Identifying shapes in the wall. This would make his fellow prisoners murderous toward anyone who attempted to free them.
The Interpretation
Not content with mere suggestion, Plato interprets the allegory: "This image is he (the allegory of the cave) we
must apply as a whole to all that has been said"--i.e., it can be used to interpret the preceding several pages,
which concern "the metaphor of the sun" and "the divided line". In particular, Plato likens " the region revealed
through sight, " i.e., the ordinary objects we see around us.
The brilliant sun outside the cave represents "the Form of the Good(?), and this passage among others can easily give the impression that Plato regarded this as a creative God,
Seeing and accepting all the faults and issues in one's character. Detachment and the perseverance to "abstain
from the creed for material things" is the next step. The second is a humble and gentle perspective towards all
life's creatures and occurances. Nobility appears as a consequence. The third step is "to love each other and
every moment of existence " and all that makes that moment unique. The fourth step - I will leave you to find
it out for yourself...
Step out if the "cave" into the light and do not stop trying to tell the others what you've experienced on the outside.
Be the change and you will change the world around you!
http://www.973-eht-namuh-973.com/Alchemy/PLATO%20.htm
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http://www.973-eht-namuh-973.com/Alchem ... IDS%20.htm
and interpreted at the beginning of Book VII of " The Relublic" (514a-520). The allegory is probably best presented
as a story, and then interpreted--as Plato himself does.
The Allegory
Imagine prisoners chained since childhood deep inside a cave. Not only are their limbs immobilised by the chains,
their heads are as well so that their eyes are fixed on a wall. Behind the prisoners is an enormous fire, and
between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised wall,along which carry shapes of various animals, plants.
and other things. The shapes cast shadows on the wall, which occupy the prisoners attention. Also, when one of
the shape-carriers speaks, an echo against the wall causes the prisoners to believe that the words come from
shadows. The prisoners engage in what appears to us a game--naming th shapes as they come by. This, however,
is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images.
Suppose. prisoner is released and compelled to stand up and turn around, his eyes will be blinded by the firelight,
and the shapes passing will appear less real than their shadows. Similarly, if he is dragged up out of the cave into
sunlight, his eyes will be blinded that he will not be able to see anything. At first, he will be able to see darker shapes
such as shadows and only later brighter and brighter objects.
The last object he would be able to see is the sun.
Plato's metaphor of the sun
Once enlightened, so to speak,my he freed prisoner would no doubt want to return to the cave to free "his fellow
bondsmen". The problem however is that they would not want to be freed; descending back into the cave would
require that the freed prisoner's eyesight adjust again, and for a time he would be inferior at the ludicrous process of
Identifying shapes in the wall. This would make his fellow prisoners murderous toward anyone who attempted to free them.
The Interpretation
Not content with mere suggestion, Plato interprets the allegory: "This image is he (the allegory of the cave) we
must apply as a whole to all that has been said"--i.e., it can be used to interpret the preceding several pages,
which concern "the metaphor of the sun" and "the divided line". In particular, Plato likens " the region revealed
through sight, " i.e., the ordinary objects we see around us.
The brilliant sun outside the cave represents "the Form of the Good(?), and this passage among others can easily give the impression that Plato regarded this as a creative God,
Seeing and accepting all the faults and issues in one's character. Detachment and the perseverance to "abstain
from the creed for material things" is the next step. The second is a humble and gentle perspective towards all
life's creatures and occurances. Nobility appears as a consequence. The third step is "to love each other and
every moment of existence " and all that makes that moment unique. The fourth step - I will leave you to find
it out for yourself...
Step out if the "cave" into the light and do not stop trying to tell the others what you've experienced on the outside.
Be the change and you will change the world around you!
http://www.973-eht-namuh-973.com/Alchemy/PLATO%20.htm
http://www.973-eht-namuh-973.com/Alchem ... 663%20.htm
http://www.973-eht-namuh-973.com/Alchem ... %20791.htm
http://www.973-eht-namuh-973.com/Alchem ... IDS%20.htm