Question

Topic 1: Plato – the allegory of the cave

Plato is inspired by his teacher Socrates, but builds a grand positive theory of true knowledge and the just society. Plato’s “Allegory of the cave” (~380BC) introduces many of Plato’s central ideas and also many of his personal and philosophical rationales.

Describe and discuss the allegory of the cave. What is Plato asking us to imagine?

Answer 1

In the allegory of the cave, Plato asks us to imagine a cave in which prisoners are kept. The prisoners have been in the cave since their childhood. They are held there such that their legs and necks are immobile, and all they can see is a wall in front of them. Behind the prisoners is a fire and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway, on which puppeteers walk.

The puppeteers carry various shapes of daily objects and project their shadows on the wall. The prisoners are able to view only flickering shadows of these objects on the wall as they cannot love their head. They therefore mistakenly assume these shadows to be reality, rather than their true nature.