Plato establishes an elaborate hypothetical, with humans in an underground
cave only able to see in a single direction. A fire is lit out of sight above
and behind them, and it casts shadows against the wall in front of them. These
shadows are the only things the prisoners can see, and men are constantly
carrying objects in front of the flame. Plato hypothesizes that if the
prisoners in the cave are able to talk amongst themselves, they will name the
shadows and treat them as if they are real - they will know no differently. But
if a prisoner is released from the cave, they will be confused and
disorientated. The objects will seem strange and foreign since he is used to
seeing only their shadows. Similarly, if the man is forced to look to the
heavens he will be disorientated at first but gradually come to understand
"his proper place in the world." This knowledge will be foreign and
strange to the people left in the cave, since it is so far beyond their
understanding.
The allegory serves to illustrate what Plato sees as the process of
illumination and education. Humanity is represented by the prisoners chained
within the cave, and life is nothing more than the shadows on the wall. While
we see these shadows as natural and complete, they are little more than the
reflection of something larger - something obscured from our view and something
the majority of us will never know.
The select few who escape the cave are those who become educated and
enlightened. They begin to see the true essence behind the shadow and realize
how limited the vision of those in the cave still is. Suddenly, their entire
world view changes. The old labels become false and their new knowledge becomes
that much more complete. Similarly, if they take one step further and adjust
their vision by looking at the sun, he will gain the most complete knowledge of
all - the knowledge of man and his place in the world. To Plato, this is the
highest level of illumination possible.
But this knowledge bears with it a burden. The enlightened man no doubt
wants to return to the cave and share his new knowledge with the prisoners.
However, now the shadows in the cave seem foreign and simplistic to him. He
cannot see life in the same way he did before. Moreover, the prisoners are not
able to see beyond the shadows based on his descriptions alone - it becomes
impossible to comprehend. As Plato writes, you can't put sight into blind eyes.
This ultimately leads to conflict, as the enlightened one is put to death. This
could be symbolic of the death of Socrates himself, who was executed because of
his philosophical views.
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