The Allegory of the Cave Flashcards

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Introduction

• Plato's Allegory of the Cave, written around 380 BCE, is a significant passage from The Republic. It serves as a vivid illustration of Idealism as taught in the Platonic Academy.

• The allegory is a metaphor used to help people overcome superficiality and materialism.

• In the dialogue, Socrates explains to Glaukon that people are like captives chained in a cave, unaware of the true reality beyond the shadows they see.

The Cave Scenario

• Imagine people living in a deep underground cave with a passage opening to the light.

• These individuals have been chained since infancy, unable to move their legs or necks, and can only stare forward.

• Far above and behind them, a great fire blazes.

• Between the fire and the captives, a low partition exists where people carry objects back and forth, similar to puppeteers.

• The objects include images of people and animals carved in various materials.

• Some carriers speak, while others are silent.

Captives' Perception of Reality

• The captives can only see shadows flitting across the cavern wall.

• They cannot see themselves or each other, nor the objects casting the shadows.

• If they could speak, they would likely assume that the names they give to the shadows apply to real things.

• If a sound reverberates through the cavern, they would think the passing shadow made the sound.

• The captives consider the shadows of the carved objects as the ultimate truth. 515c

The Released Captive

• Imagine one captive is freed from their shackles and forced to stand, turn their neck, take steps, and gaze at the fire.

• This process is painful, and the glare makes them unable to see the objects that cast the shadows.

• If someone tells them that everything they knew was an illusion and that they are now closer to reality, they would struggle to understand.

• If asked to identify the artificial figures, they would be at a loss and believe the shadows were more real. 515d

• Forced to look at the fire, their eyes would be pained, and they would want to return to the familiar shadows. 515e

The Ascent to Sunlight

• The freed captive is forcibly dragged up the steep climb out of the cavern until they stand in the sunlight. 516a

• Initially, the light blinds them, and they cannot discern what is considered real.

• It takes time to adjust to seeing higher things. First, they see shadows, then reflections in water, and eventually the objects themselves.

• Next, they behold the heavenly bodies and the night sky, finding it easier to look at the stars and the moon than the sun. 516b

• Eventually, they can gaze upon the sun itself, understanding it as it truly is.

Understanding the Sun as the Source

• The freed captive begins to reason and understands that the sun is the source of the seasons, years, and everything visible. 516c

• The sun is recognized as the origin of everything previously known.

• Remembering their fellow prisoners and their accepted wisdom, the freed captive considers themselves fortunate and pities the captives.

The Return to the Cave

• The passage references Homer's Odyssey (11.489), where one would

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