At first, he’d see shadows most easily, then images of men and other things in water, then the things themselves. I suppose, then, that he’d need time to get adjusted before he could see things in the world above. He would be unable to see them, at least at first. What do you think he’d say, if we told him that what he’d seen before was inconsequential, but that now– because he is a bit closer to the things that are and is turned towards things that are more– he sees more correctly? Or, to put it another way, if we pointed to each of the things passing by, asked him what each of them is, and compelled him to answer, don’t you think he’d be at a loss and that he’d believe that the things he saw earlier were truer than the ones he was now being shown?Īnd if someone compelled him to look at the light itself, wouldn’t his eyes hurt, and wouldn’t he turn around and flee towards the things he’s able to see, believing that they’re really clearer than the one’s he’s being shown?Īnd if someone dragged him away from there by force, up the rough, steep path, and didn’t let him go until he had dragged him into the sunlight, wouldn’t he be pained and irritated at being treated that way? And when he came into the light, with the sun filling his eyes, wouldn’t he be unable to see a single one of the things now said to be true? When one of them was freed and suddenly compelled to stand up, turn his head, walk, and look up toward the light, he’d be pained and dazzled and unable to see the things whose shadows he’d seen before. Then the prisoners would in every way believe that the truth is nothing other than the shadows of those artifacts.Ĭonsider, then, what being released from their bonds and cured of their ignorance would naturally be like. What about the things being carried along the wall? Isn’t the same true of them?Īnd if they could talk to one another, don’t you think they’d suppose that the names they used applied to the things they see passing before them?Īnd what if their prison also had an echo from the wall facing them? Don’t you think they’d believe that the shadows passing in front of them were talking whenever one of the carriers passing along the wall was doing so? How could they, if they have to keep their heads motionless throughout life? Do you suppose, first of all, that these prisoners see anything of themselves and one another besides the shadows that the fire casts on the wall in front of them? It’s a strange image you’re describing, and strange prisoners.
And, as you’d expect, some of the carriers are talking, and some are silent. Then also imagine that there are people along the wall, carrying all kinds of artifacts that project above it– statues of people and other animals, made out of stone, wood, and every material. Imagine that along this path a low wall has been built, like the screen in front of puppeteers above which they show their puppets. Also behind them, but on higher ground, there is a path stretching between them and the fire. Light is provided by a fire burning far above and behind them.
They’ve been there since childhood, fixed in the same place, with their necks and legs fettered, able to see only in front of them, because their bonds prevent them from turning their heads around. Next, I said, compare the effect of education and of the lack of it on our nature to an experience like this: Imagine human beings living in an underground, cavelike dwelling, with an entrance a long way up, which is both open to the light and as wide as the cave itself. Plato: Republic, by Plato et al., Hackett Publishing Company, 1992, pp. This allegory illustrates Plato’s view of the purpose of education.Įxcerpt from Book VII, 514-520a. It is not known whether Plato is retelling an actual dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon (the other speaker), or if Plato used Socrates more like a character through which he could express his own views on this subject. Plato writes this story approximately 20 years after Socrates was put to death by the state for “refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the state” and “corrupting the youth” through his powerful, transformative teaching methods (approx.
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