The Allegory of the Cave

Philosophy seemed to have answers to some of the questions that were bothering me. These questions weren’t going to lead me to formulate ways to earn more money, get a better job, hook up with more women or increase consumption in my life, but would help me gain perspective on ethical dilemmas & questions about what encompasses a fulfilling life. However, one of the most important primary aspects that philosophy taught me was this crucial teaching by Plato.

Allegory of the Cave video on YouTube

Plato’s Cave- TED-Ed

The allegory of the cave, is about a small community who has spent their entire lifetimes in a cave. That is their world, their reality. The fire which throws light in the cave, reflects the shadows of the elements in the world outside the cave on the wall. These reflections would include those of animals in the jungle, or humans passing the cave. Eventually, the cavemen identified this phenomena and started classifying elements of the outside world through observation of these shadows. The common understanding of the reality of the world was the shadows on the wall. However, a member of the tribe, escapes the cave to discover the world outside, and is amazed by the world lit by the sun and observed the real versions of the shadows that he had seen all his life in the cave. Amazed by the endless potential for experience and discovery, he returns back to the cave, explaining his tribe the reality he experienced outside the cave, and how the shadows are mere reflections of the real ‘forms’, and not reality itself. This violently contradicted how the cavemen perceived the reality of the world. Enraged by the ludicrous theories of the man, he was shunned from the tribe, causing harm to his physical, emotional and social elements.

This was Plato’s analogy for philosophers, and how explaining the light of the outside world to those living in the darkness and reflections of the cave, can not only be a difficult process, but also a life threatening one, something that occurred to Socrates, his mentor. These men, are often identified as ludicrous, insane, stupid and superficial. All of us as individuals have never consciously explored philosophy, as it does not help us to achieve our materialistic goals which we seek validation and gratification.

This makes me think, what if we are those living in the cave, perceiving a reality which simply does not exist, while we shun away the reality which makes us hostile towards the situation due to resistance to change? Maybe we could unfreeze our versions of reality to understand alternate perspectives in order enrich lives, enforce change and continue to grow and progress through the constant pursuit for knowledge. Let’s not live in the cave perceiving the shadows and shunning away the reality, lets feed our brain to discovering newer realities and finding ours.