We explain what the myth of the cave is and how it applies in real life. Also, its relationship with Plato’s theory of Ideas and more.
The myth of the cave shows how true knowledge is accessed according to Plato.
What is the myth of the cave?
The myth or allegory of the cave is one of the most famous stories written by Plato in the history of philosophy. The allegory, with pedagogical-philosophical intentions, appears in the context of Book VII of The Republicpolitical treatise, within the framework of a conversation between Socrates, Plato’s teacher, and Glaucon, son of Ariston and brother of Plato.
In the allegory of the cave the story is told A group of prisoners who live inside a cave without knowing that there is a world outside it.. There they spend their days taking the shadows of the outside world as true reality. On one occasion, one of the slaves manages to escape, faces the light, emerges into the outside world, and discovers the truth of his situation. He then decides to return and free his companions, who do not believe his words and end up murdering him.
The allegory of the cave is, along with the story of the winged chariot that appears in the Phaedrusone of the most famous passages not only in Plato’s work, but in the entire history of philosophical literature. The allegory is considered to be a metaphor for the situation of the human being in relation to knowledge. On the other hand, this story explains Plato’s theory of the two worlds: the sensible world, known through the senses, and the intelligible world, known through intellectual understanding.
Key points
- The myth of the cave tells the story of some prisoners who never saw the world outside the cave. cavern in which they were born. One day, one of the prisoners managed to get outside and discovered that the world was not as they had imagined, but that they were living in a sensory illusion.
- The symbolic meanings of the story are: the group of prisoners (representing humans), the cave (representing the known world perceived by the senses) and the shadows (representing the world perceived by the prisoners).
- It is a story that serves to explain the situation of the human being in the face of philosophical knowledge.
Context and development of the cave myth
The allegory of the cave appears narrated by Socrates in the Republic (Politeia, as it is known in Greek). The Republic It is one of Plato’s best-known works, and constitutes a dialogue between Socrates and other characters, as often happens in Platonic works.
Although the central theme of the work is justice, there are different references to many of Socrates’ main concerns: the doctrine of Ideas, philosophy as dialectic, the theory of the soul, and the project of an ideal city. governed by philosophical principles and a philosopher-king.
In Book VII of the ten that make up the entire work, the allegory or myth of the cave appears. This story is told by Socrates, the main character of the work and narrator, to one of his disciples, Glaucon, who is also Plato’s brother.
Socrates tells the story of a group of slaves who are born inside a cave without knowing it and therefore ignoring the existence of the outside world and anything other than the interior of the cave, its dark walls and the cave that houses them.
Chained to a wall, the slaves cannot move freely or turn their heads towards the entrance of the cavern, through whose space the only light that illuminates its interior enters. They consider that the shadows that the external world projects inside the cave are, in reality, the things themselves, and they cannot differentiate between the shadows and real objects (which they do not even suspect exist).
One day, according to Socrates, one of the slaves separates from the rest, manages to free himself from his moorings and escapes to the surface, where the light and brilliance of the outside world blind, stun and paralyze him. After a while, his eyes get used to it and he manages to understand that what he sees are the objects that cast shadows (in which he, until then, believed).
Realizing the truth, the freed slave decides to return and tell his companions what he could see and understand. However, when he returns, he cannot get used to the darkness again, enters and walks in a hesitant manner, often falling, imitating the gait of a madman or a drunk.
Plato, through Socrates, maintains that if the slave could explain to his companions what he had seen, what awaits them outside the cave, none of them would be willing to believe in him. On the contrary, they would most likely mock him, call him crazy, and react with violence. Furthermore, if the slave were to try to free them, they would turn angry against him, fight to prevent him, and probably kill him in the process.
Interpretation of the myth
The allegory of the cave (often incorrectly called “myth”) It is a possible philosophical explanation of the state of humanity in relation to knowledge..
The prisoners represent human beings in their state of slavery, prisoners of their ignorance. Clinging to habitual customs and beliefs, they cannot see the truth: they believe they know and feel happy, when in reality they live in error, and they take it as true, even when what they see is nothing other than the shadow and the echo of things as they truly are.
The allegory, in principle, served Plato to explain the distinction he makes between the sensible world and the intelligible world, as well as the distinction between opinion and knowledge. In the Republicthe allegory shows the educational process that the philosopher must follow to become the ruler of the city and of other men: starting from the inside of the cave (space of errors and falsehoods), until finding the outside (where the sun represents the true vision of things).
The story culminates with the philosopher’s return to the cave, to take care of the sensible world and guide others towards true wisdom and good living. This is related to different aspects of Plato’s work, such as the theory of Ideas, the difference between knowledge and opinion, and access to things through the intellect.
Platonic elements that appear in the myth
The allegory of the cave touches on different central points of Plato’s problems.
The theory of Ideas
One of them is the theory of Ideas, which constitutes the main axis of Platonic doctrine. This theory maintains that the elements that make up the material world, accessible to the senses, are degraded copies of the forms or Ideas, from which they take their main characteristics through participation.
As Socrates tells Glaucon, those who are considered the most excellent people are those who must pursue the most complex and perfect studies in order to attain knowledge of good and, therefore, of ideas. In the story of the cave, the slave who manages to free himself from his bonds and faces the real world (that of Ideas) represents the philosopher who manages to access the truth and returns to the sensible world, the world that is a copy, to instruct his companions.
Epistemological and political sense
Scholars often debate whether allegory should be taken in an epistemological sense or a political sense.
- In an epistemological sense, it could be thought that Plato illustrates the way in which knowledge is accessed: going from the closest and most degraded to the most distant and perfect. Furthermore, he shows how some people (the majority) refuse to know the truth, choosing to remain in the comfort of deception and opinion.
- In a political senseit is often suggested that the allegory of the cave shows human nature and symbolizes the instantaneous opposition between the philosopher, who knows the good, and the rest of humanity, corrupted by not wanting to see things as they are.
The analogy of the divided line
It is generally agreed that the allegory shows the way in which knowledge is accessed, the nature of humanity with respect to truth, the theory of Ideas and the analogy of the divided line.
The analogy of the divided line was used by Plato to explain how the Ideas and the material world are in different spheres: the intelligible and invisible (that of ideas), and the sensible and visible (the material world).
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References
- Guthrie, W. (1988). History of Greek Philosophy, vol. IV. Plato, the man and his dialogues: first period. Gredos.
- Guthrie, W. (1988). History of Greek Philosophy, vol. V. Plato, the Second Period and the Academy. Gredos.
- Guthrie, W. (1953). The Greek Philosophers. From Thales to Aristotle. FCE.
- Ross, W. D. (1993). Plato’s Theory of Ideas. Chair.
- Cordero, N. (2008). The invention of philosophy. An introduction to ancient philosophy. Byblos Publishing House.
- Zamosc, G. (2017). The political meaning of Plato’s allegory of the cave. Ideas y Valores, 66(165), 237-265.
- Lan, C.E. (2000). The sun, the line and the cave. Colihue Editions SRL.
- Robledo, A.G. (Ed.). (2000). The Republic. UNAM.