Analogy of the cave

• Analogy

  compares similar things
• Cave represents this world and the outside of the cave shows the World of Forms
• • 3 prisoners kept in a cave their whole lives
  • chained up by their hands, feet, and head
  • Shown shadows on the wall- only things they've ever known
  • walkway with fire behind them, people carrying objects that cast shadows and have conversations
  • Prisoners think the shadows are real in themselves, believe they talk
  • prisoner escapes one day and realises that everything he experienced is fake
  • blinded by the sun (Form of Good)
  • Goes to tell the other prisoners- dont believe him
• Symbolism and original text are key in exams
• "Instructor" is the one who determines when the prisoners chains are broken and controls the scenario
• Symbolism

  • chains symbolise the senses or physical bodies holding us back from understanding reality in the World of Forms
  • shadows- what we believe are real
  • walkers are politicians and leaders feeding us false info
  • when chains break- gaining knowledge or dying of the body
  • journey out of cave is the journey of epistemology
  • running back into the cave- Socrates trying to teach us the ways or reincarnation