Book 7 -- The Allegory of the Cave



By Sunny Fry

 

Book 7 begins with the piece Plato is most famous for, the Allegory of the Cave.  It can be found in its entirety here: http://public.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/ALLEGORY.HTM

 

     As you will recall, most of the book thus far has been dedicated to finding the perfect guardians, leaders necessary for the perfect Republic, and in the last chapter, Good was compared in an allegory to the sun.  The sun, providing light, is necessary for eyes to see; the sun nourishes and sustains and engenders.

 

     Imagine, if you will, a group of people who have spent their entire lives chained in a cave, such that they can only face a wall.  behind them, figures pass to and fro, and the lighting is such that shadows of those figures fall on the wall in front of the chained people, some of them making noises, some silent.  The shadows are all they can see of reality, and they talk and give the shadows names, and discuss what properties those shadows might have.

 

   If one of the prisoners is freed, he will at first be stiff, and will almost have to be turned around forcibly.  But as he turns and can see the figures making the shadows, he will at first be confused, and assume the shadows he's familiar with are the reality, until he can understand the relationship.  Finally, he will begin to understand that the figures casting the shadows are the reality, and the shadows only shadows. 

 

    If that same figure, having gained some of his sight, is then led steeply upward to the opening of the cave, it will at first be painful.  His eyes will again be confounded by the brightness of the light, but eventually he will come to understand the relationship between the sun, the light, and reality.  He'll want to live in the light.  But then, when he remembers all those he left in chains in the darkness, his heart will be moved with pity, with desire to show them the truth and bring them into the light.

 

   But when he goes back into the cave, his eyes will be again confounded, having grown used to the light.  It will take a bit for his eyes to adjust.  If he tries to speak to those still chained, those who have had contests and built whole lives on their interpretation of shadows, they'll consider him a fool at best.  And then they will decide that being free apparently makes one ridiculous -- and if anyone tries to free them and show them the way to the light, they'll kill him.

 

     There is some further discussion on the relationship between math symbols and the reality they represent, on the ways to educate the young guardians from their youth by not making learning a chore, but more of a game, to determine which have a natural inclination and aptitude for it.  There's also a good bit of discussion on the ways basic sorts of drives for money and sex distract from or distort that clean vision, and how those who are wedded to a search for the truth are not much interested in more carnal pursuits.

 

    I'm reminded of a great deal -- Jesus and Gandhi, Paul and Descartes.  Even the blog, and its tendency sometimes to want to devolve into bickering about shadows.  But I think this time, I'm more interested in what associations you see.

 

 

     Imagine, if you will, a group of people who have spent their entire lives chained in a cave, such that they can only face a wall.  behind them, figures pass to and fro, and the lighting is such that shadows of those figures fall on the wall in front of the chained people, some of them making noises, some silent.  The shadows are all they can see of reality, and they talk and give the shadows names, and discuss what properties those shadows might have.

 

   If one of the prisoners is freed, he will at first be stiff, and will almost have to be turned around forcibly.  But as he turns and can see the figures making the shadows, he will at first be confused, and assume the shadows he's familiar with are the reality, until he can understand the relationship.  Finally, he will begin to understand that the figures casting the shadows are the reality, and the shadows only shadows. 

 

    If that same figure, having gained some of his sight, is then led steeply upward to the opening of the cave, it will at first be painful.  His eyes will again be confounded by the brightness of the light, but eventually he will come to understand the relationship between the sun, the light, and reality.  He'll want to live in the light.  But then, when he remembers all those he left in chains in the darkness, his heart will be moved with pity, with desire to show them the truth and bring them into the light.

 

   But when he goes back into the cave, his eyes will be again confounded, having grown used to the light.  It will take a bit for his eyes to adjust.  If he tries to speak to those still chained, those who have had contests and built whole lives on their interpretation of shadows, they'll consider him a fool at best.  And then they will decide that being free apparently makes one ridiculous -- and if anyone tries to free them and show them the way to the light, they'll kill him.

 

     There is some further discussion on the relationship between math symbols and the reality they represent, on the ways to educate the young guardians from their youth by not making learning a chore, but more of a game, to determine which have a natural inclination and aptitude for it.  There's also a good bit of discussion on the ways basic sorts of drives for money and sex distract from or distort that clean vision, and how those who are wedded to a search for the truth are not much interested in more carnal pursuits.

 

    I'm reminded of a great deal -- Jesus and Gandhi, Paul and Descartes.  Even the blog, and its tendency sometimes to want to devolve into bickering about shadows.  But I think this time, I'm more interested in what associations you see.