Allegory of the cave
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| + | "And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:—Behold! human beings living in a underground [[cave|den]], which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets."--[[Allegory of the cave]], Plato, Jowett translation | ||
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| - | The '''Allegory of the Cave''', also commonly known as '''Myth of the Cave''', '''Metaphor of the Cave''', or the '''Parable of the Cave''', is an [[allegory]] used by the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[philosopher]] [[Plato]] in his work ''[[The Republic (Plato)|The Republic]]'' to illustrate "our nature in its education and want of education." (514a) The allegory of the cave is written as a fictional dialog between Plato's teacher [[Socrates]] and Plato's brother [[Glaucon]], at the beginning of Book VII (514a–520a). | + | The '''Allegory of the Cave''', also commonly known as '''Myth of the Cave''', '''Metaphor of the Cave''', or the '''Parable of the Cave''', is an [[allegory]] used by the Greek [[philosopher]] [[Plato]] in his work ''[[The Republic (Plato)|The Republic]]'' to illustrate "our nature in its education and want of education." (514a) The allegory of the cave is written as a fictional dialog between Plato's teacher [[Socrates]] and Plato's brother [[Glaucon]], at the beginning of Book VII (514a–520a). |
| - | Plato imagines a group of people who have lived chained in a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch [[shadow]]s projected on the wall by things passing in front of the cave entrance, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to seeing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners. | + | Plato has Socrates describe a gathering of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch [[Shadow play|shadows projected on the wall]] by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to designate names to these shadows. The shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing [[reality]]. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners. |
| The Allegory is related to Plato's [[Theory of Forms]], wherein Plato asserts that "Forms" (or "[[Idea]]s"), and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality. In addition, the allegory of the cave is an attempt to explain the philosopher's place in society. | The Allegory is related to Plato's [[Theory of Forms]], wherein Plato asserts that "Forms" (or "[[Idea]]s"), and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality. In addition, the allegory of the cave is an attempt to explain the philosopher's place in society. | ||
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| The Allegory of the Cave is related to Plato's [[metaphor of the sun]] (507b–509c) and the [[analogy of the divided line]] (509d–513e), which immediately precede it at the end of Book VI. Allegories are summarized in the viewpoint of dialectic at the end of Book VII and VIII (531d-534e). | The Allegory of the Cave is related to Plato's [[metaphor of the sun]] (507b–509c) and the [[analogy of the divided line]] (509d–513e), which immediately precede it at the end of Book VI. Allegories are summarized in the viewpoint of dialectic at the end of Book VII and VIII (531d-534e). | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| - | + | *[[Archetype]] | |
| - | *[[Metaphor of the sun]] | + | *[[Analogy of the Sun]] |
| - | *[[Analogy of the divided line]] | + | *[[Analogy of the Divided Line]] |
| + | *[[Brain-in-a-vat]] | ||
| + | *[[Form]] | ||
| + | *[[Intelligibility (philosophy)]] | ||
| *[[The Form of the Good]] | *[[The Form of the Good]] | ||
| + | *[[Nous]] | ||
| *[[Plato's Republic in popular culture]] | *[[Plato's Republic in popular culture]] | ||
| - | *[[Cave Automatic Virtual Environment]] | + | *[[Thought experiment]] |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
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"And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:—Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets."--Allegory of the cave, Plato, Jowett translation |
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The Allegory of the Cave, also commonly known as Myth of the Cave, Metaphor of the Cave, or the Parable of the Cave, is an allegory used by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic to illustrate "our nature in its education and want of education." (514a) The allegory of the cave is written as a fictional dialog between Plato's teacher Socrates and Plato's brother Glaucon, at the beginning of Book VII (514a–520a).
Plato has Socrates describe a gathering of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to designate names to these shadows. The shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.
The Allegory is related to Plato's Theory of Forms, wherein Plato asserts that "Forms" (or "Ideas"), and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality. In addition, the allegory of the cave is an attempt to explain the philosopher's place in society.
The Allegory of the Cave is related to Plato's metaphor of the sun (507b–509c) and the analogy of the divided line (509d–513e), which immediately precede it at the end of Book VI. Allegories are summarized in the viewpoint of dialectic at the end of Book VII and VIII (531d-534e).
See also
- Archetype
- Analogy of the Sun
- Analogy of the Divided Line
- Brain-in-a-vat
- Form
- Intelligibility (philosophy)
- The Form of the Good
- Nous
- Plato's Republic in popular culture
- Thought experiment
