The Meaning of The Allegory of The Cave from Plato’s The Republic

The Republic is a dialogue that challenges the efficacy of democracy and serves as a foundation on which all political thought is built upon. After the death of Socrates Plato took it upon himself to express his discontent for this political system and its exploitation in ancient Greece. Democracy in Athens was controlled by the sophists or those who, instead of pursuing truth, spread propaganda to the polis in order to consolidate power. In conflict with the states agenda, Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth, as his pursuit of truth was based on relational pedagogy, thus engaging many open-minded youths in the agora through the dialectic. When on trial in the Apology, Socrates makes clear that the way of the sophist is a state of being worse than death, “I take my leave, convicted by the truth of wickedness and injustice. And just as I accept my penalty, so must they. ”

In contemporary society citizens must heed the words of Socrates and stand firm on the pursuit of truth even if confronted by those who remain bound by the shackles of ignorance and indifference. Before a philosopher is born he or she is an unknowing prisoner in Plato’s allegory of the cave. Beneath the surface there resides a cave with human beings, since birth, shackled by their necks and legs prohibiting movement. Adjacent to them is a wall which projects the shadows of numerous people and objects created from a large fire. Bound by these restraints the prisoners are unaware of the existence of a fire or other people besides their own self therefore the shadows on the wall in front of them are ultimate reality; the figures are not shadows, but rather an undeniable truth to each prisoner. However, along the side of the cave there is an entrance or exit to the underground dwelling that is denoted by its rays of light only visible once the opening is seen. Setting up the framework for his analogy, Plato uses the character of Socrates to describe what would happen if a prisoner were freed from his shackles.

Naturally, the inhabitant of the cave would be pained by the bright lights illuminating the caves exit. When leaving the shadows, the prisoner begins by examining things he is able to see as the sun is too bright to look at. However, its rays illuminate the truth of the world he or she begins to realize that shadows are a false reality constructed by the workings of the cave. Once illustrating the split in each reality, that within the cave and outside, Socrates further develops the allegory by having the former prisoner go back into the cave. Entering the cave, the former prisoner can no longer see the shadows, only the darkness that is perceived by being exposed to the brightness of outside. No longer valuing what the prisoners see as reality he is labeled as one who is corrupted and ridiculed for his nonsensical beliefs. The allegory of the cave illustrates the Athenian democracy that sentenced Socrates to death. The prisoners are the ancient Greek citizenry, bound by the shackles of ignorance. The people holding the original objects near the fire are the sophist who contort truth and through the fire or systems of dissemination spread propaganda which is illustrated by the shadows, which intern is believed by the prisoners as truth. Through the allegory of the cave Socrates or rather Plato wants to provide a way for others to understand the chains which currently prevent them from valuing truth rather than ignorance. This realization is the beginning of the philosopher’s journey. Once a prisoner exits the cave he is exposed to the sun or the form of wisdom. He can never touch the sun as he is limited by the constraints of the physical body, however, now closer his surroundings are illuminated and he or she is able to discern truth from ignorance.

From the allegory of the cave one is to extract two elements of a single conclusion or freeing oneself from ignorance: (1) one must become aware of his or her ignorance, resulting in a desire to pursue truth and (2) a philosopher must return to the cave and help others “each step of the way” climb the ascent to the prisons exit. Even though hundreds of years old the allegory of the cave has transcended the limitations of time and is a means to free all who read from the shackles of their own ignorance.

In present day, this can mean a thorough understanding of the sources through which many obtain information from, until an individual takes the initiative to pursue truth one will be corrupted. A philosopher must abandon his ego and be willing to cast away his present beliefs for those that are further illuminated by wisdom. During this election cycle if one only obtains information from Fox News he or she is limited by a narrow and most times false perspective. Once developing a love of wisdom, a philosopher must return to the cave and help guide those who are still restrained. Just as Socrates faced the sophist in order to further solidify his point to all those who valued his perspective, citizens must cultivate a culture of the dialectic; an open forum to dispel ignorance and further pursue truth. For the philosopher, such a task must not be met by fear or indifference rather, “when he saw a soul disturbed and unable to see something, he would not laugh absurdly. ” As autonomous individuals, we must not remove ourselves from those still shackled in the cave, but evaluate where he or she is in the process of the allegory. Whether half way up the ascent or still shacked, after reading Plato’s allegory it is our responsibility to act as disseminators of truth and fellow travelers on the path toward wisdom.