A View into the Allegory of the Cave

In the time of the Greek Empire, when they defined themselves as the world power, the creation and development of sciences both physical and social were in a revolution. One notable science that saw strides of development were the sciences of philosophy, a system of logic, debate and desire for wisdom. The most noted and heard of these men was the formidable Aristotle, but the importance here is in a student, Plato. Plato was an idealistic philosopher, who saw beyond physical constraints of life into his higher beliefs of formless ideas being a truth of life and reality. In these he viewed mathematics and the logical concepts behind it, as well as defined forms, pure concepts only somewhat represented in the real world, such as the form of beauty. Additionally, his top tier of reality resided a form of goodness, in which humans desire things that are just and good.

In the allegorical tale of the cave, part of the greater work The Republic, Plato related his ideas through a story; one that was designed to teach and inform and explain. By examining and summation of the cave, the connection between the story and Plato's world view can be established.

The story of the cave portrays a group of people, chained within a somewhat darkened cave all their lives. Enough light exists to show shadows upon a wall in front of them, and in these shadows a myriad of objects and shapes are displayed; objects and shapes that portray all these prisoners have known. This leads into one prisoner being unshackled and forced out, past a fire and people carrying varying objects that create the shadows below. Further he is trailed along a harsh, rocky path into a blinding and painful to see world above. Outside the sheltering confines of the cave, t...

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...the defining experience of the prisoner into the truth of life, ties to a greater than physical existence in Plato's world view may be identified.

The myth of the cave was a powerful tool developed by Plato is explaining his world view. It allowed him to teach abstract concepts using tangible concepts. By examining the journey of the prisoner and the experiences he takes in, Plato's view of the the philosopher is, is defined. Further, the outside world shows the nature of his worldly and metaphysical viewpoints and beliefs. In the end the return of the prisoner to the cave, as well as simply the beginning of the cave of the entrapped prisoners gives an explanation of human nature and goals. While, by no means a definitive breakdown of the Platonic philosophy, it is a starting point into understanding his core beliefs, ones that worked to shaped future hypothesis.