We explain what the myth of Plato's cave is and how it can be interpreted. In addition, we tell you what applications it currently has.
What is the myth of Plato's cave?
It is known as the allegory of the cave (incorrectly referred to as the myth of the cave, since it is not actually a myth) to a thought experiment carried out by the Greek philosopher Plato (c. 427-347 BC. ) in book VII of his best-known surviving work, the Republic. It is one of the most famous imaginary constructions in Western philosophy, which reflects the bases of Plato's thought through a metaphorical explanation of how human beings perceive reality.
To understand the allegory of the cave, it is important to know that, According to what Plato proposed, reality is made up of two different worlds:
- The world of the sensitive that is, everything that we can perceive through our limited senses.
- The world of the intelligible that is, everything that we can think and imagine without the help of our senses.
In simpler terms, there is the world of the senses and there is the world of ideas and concepts. This distinction plays a vital role in how humans understand reality: something that was among the main concerns of the Greek philosopher.
Another important aspect to highlight is that Plato's allegory is explained through an imaginary dialogue between Socrates, the philosopher's own teacher, and the main character of the work, called Glaucus. This method of narrating and explaining Platonic ideas is quite common in the philosopher's work. Hence it is known as the “Platonic dialogues”.
See also: Philosophy
Summary of the allegory of the cave
Let's imagine for a moment that there existed, somewhere in ancient Greece, a very deep underground cave, in which a group of prisoners came to the world and they have spent their entire lives, never having seen the outside world, nor even suspecting its existence. These prisoners are chained to a very solid brick wall, in such a way that no matter what they do, can only look ahead, towards a wall on which the light of a torch located behind them is projected.
Numerous servants pass behind the prisoners, carrying all kinds of objects, statuettes and vessels. The shadows of the objects are projected on the wall, where they are perceived by the prisoners as if they were things in themselves and not the reflection of the light behind him. That is, the prisoners believe that the real world consists of these shadows and through them they even explain their own existence. They don't know anything else.
Until one fine day, one of the prisoners manages to break free from his restraints and turn towards the torch, thus discovering a new reality. Suddenly, the prisoner understands that real things were outside his vision and that shadows are not things, but just a mirage.
Motivated by curiosity, the prisoner walks through the cave until he finds the exit and discover the outside world and everything that exists there: trees, lakes, people, and even the Sun. Dazzled with his new perception of the universe, the prisoner immediately returns to the cave with the intention of freeing his companions.
However, upon entering the cave, the dazzling light outside prevents him from seeing clearly, and he stumbles towards his companions. The latter, upon seeing him walk that way, laugh at him and what he tells them about the outside world, about light and shadows, and they consider him crazy or stupid. Enraged, the prisoner then decides to free his companions, so that they understand that he is telling the truth; But these, in their eagerness to defend themselves and what they consider true, start fighting with him and, eventually, they all kill him.
Interpretations of the allegory of the cave
The allegory of the cave has numerous possible interpretations, but it is generally understood as a narrative metaphor that illustrates our own situation in the world: We have what we can witness using our senses, but it is difficult for us to find the truth of things.
For the rest, it is possible to interpret Plato's allegory in the following way:
- The difference between the shadows on the wall and the real objects behind the prisoners is the difference between the sensible world (of the senses) and the intelligible world (of ideas). For Plato, The senses were a source of deception and erroneous perceptions, while ideas were the only path that led to the truth of things.
- The prisoners represent all of humanity, sentenced to trust their senses and to blindly judge what they observe, unless they develop critical methods to look beyond, to reveal hidden objects. Hence Plato also distinguishes between opinion (doxa) that depends on the senses and is uninformed; and knowledge itself, which goes beyond what is perceived to reach the essence of things.
- From the above it follows that education is an instrument of liberation which allows human beings to leave the world of forms and shadows, and look towards the light of truth.
- The allegory too illustrates the degree of attachment that human beings can demonstrate towards the known, the predictable and the accustomed to the point that we can refuse to believe or discover the truth of things, preferring to live comfortably in deception, which can lead to rejecting those who try to show us the true world.
- The prisoner who, having discovered the real world, returns to the cave to free his companions, represents the wise man or the philosopher which responds to the obligation to abandon the world of ideas and face the people, their fellow human beings, to guide them towards knowledge and away from the darkness of ignorance.
Applications in the contemporary world
In different works and trends in the contemporary world, Plato's allegory of the cave is alluded to or reproduced, sometimes without even knowing it. For example, in the american film The Matrix in which human beings are trapped in a computer simulation of the real world, the myth of the cave is very present: the protagonists seek to awaken humanity from that fictional world and lead it to reality, no matter how horrible it may be, to continue the fight against the machines.
Similarly, the debate around the fake news and other forms of manipulation on the internet and social networks They often refer to this allegory, especially in the part in which the prisoners prefer to ignore or even attack their companion, rather than rethink their beliefs.
Continue with: Philosophical thought
References
- “Allegory of the cave” on Wikipedia.
- “Allegory of the cave” at the National University of San Martín (Argentina).
- “Plato On: the allegory of the cavern” (video) in The School of Life.
- “Ethics explainer: Plato's Cave” at Ethics.org.au.