Plato's Cave and the hidden meaning of his charming and realistic tale even today
Plato is one of the most famous philosophers in history. He was born in Athens in 427 BC, and in addition to being a student of Socrates, he was a teacher of Aristotle. The Republic is considered Plato's masterpiece. It is a lengthy dialogue divided into ten separate chapters or books. During which he reviews philosophical discussions in which the character of Socrates participates with many people. These discussions revolve around justice, politics, beauty, and the spirit and address the importance of enlightenment.
“The Tale of the Cave” is the most famous part of the book The Republic
Although it may seem difficult to imagine, this amazing allegory of Plato's cave hides a lot of valuable wisdom and insights. The story of the cave is located in the seventh part of the book The Republic. In this tale, Plato asks us to imagine an underground cave that ends with an opening leading to light. Inside the cave are people who have been shackled since childhood, in a position that prevents them from seeing the light and prevents its rays from reaching them. Directly behind them is a low wall behind which lies a burning fire. Along the wall stand men carrying statues and raising them up the wall, various statues of animals and other objects. Bound people cannot see objects behind them. All they can see are their own shadows, and the shadows of the statues reflected on the wall facing them.
Prisoners represent the majority of the human race. Those who see only the shadow of the truth and hear only the echo of the truth. Their world view is laced with emotion and prejudice.
But if one of these prisoners had tried to escape from the darkness of the cave and become familiar with the light, he would have been able to see things that to him were only shadows, and yet he would not yet have reached the essence of truth.
With greater determination, the prisoner will emerge from his cave, bathed in sunlight. Then he will see the world as it really is, a world that contains clear things. Finally, he will see the sun itself, which embodies the concept of goodness, and goodness is the highest and greatest value in Plato’s opinion.
“Or do you think there is any point in having something if it is not good? Is there any wisdom in possessing all forms of knowledge, without knowing what is good, without having the ability to know what is good and valuable?”
When the former prisoner returns to the cave to try to free the rest, at that moment his eyes have no longer accustomed to the darkness. He will make a great effort to see the shadows on the wall.
The other prisoners think he is ignorant and blind, so they act hostile and refuse to leave the cave.
The deeper meaning
Plato believes that the purpose of education is to help people see values and abstract truth, to the extent that it saves them from spending their lives in a world of falsehood and fanaticism.
This type of education is especially important for leaders. The blurring that covers their sight will not only affect them, but their habituation to a life of darkness will destroy the entire “city,” and this is many times worse than the average individual remaining immersed in his ignorance.
In conclusion, the cave dwellers are philosophers before the Enlightenment. This symbolic tale certainly represents the difficulties that philosophers face. Instead of appreciating them, the rest of society (those who still have the yoke at their wrists) does not listen to the philosophers. More than that, they actually reject their ideas.
This is linked to the broader context of the Republic. In fact, the real Socrates was executed (unlike the Socrates character in this story) for the teachings of his philosophy, specifically for “corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and challenging the reality of society.” (He also praised Athens' arch-rival Sparta)
In this sense, the Republic has a personal dimension. Plato was not only presenting the idea of the importance of enlightenment and philosophy, but he was also dealing with the death of his great teacher and friend.
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