The Meaning of Plato's Cave Allegory

Plato is a legendary philosophical figure. He expressed his ideas in the form of dialects that were written more than two thousand years ago. The Republic is the most famous work by Plato, and the wisdom inside this masterpiece is still valuable today.

The Allegory of the Cave is featured in the seventh book of The Republic. It's a well-known passage about truth and the journey to enlightenment. Thankfully, the meaning of the allegory isn't too difficult to understand as long as you can visualize it.

The Cave

In the allegory, Plato compares our lives to prisoners in a cave. The prisoners have been in chains since childhood, and they are facing away from the light that leads into the outside world. Behind the prisoners, there's a low wall and a fire.

On this side of the wall, men carry statues and other objects, but the prisoners cannot see this. They can only see the shadows of the objects opposite them.

The shadows the prisoners can see are simply imitations of the truth. But if a prisoner escaped from the cave and came into the light, he would see the world properly and recognize the objects for what they are.

The sun is also significant. For Plato, the sun represents goodness, and goodness is the most valuable form:

‘Is there any point in having all other forms of knowledge without that of the good, and so lacking knowledge about what is good and valuable?’

Having reached the point of enlightenment, the ex-prisoner ventures back into the cave to try and free the others. But the other prisoners are blind and ignorant. They do not trust the words of the enlightened one and wish to remain inside the cave.

The Meaning of the Allegory

Plato believes political leaders must be educated. If they are cave dwellers who can only see an imitation of the truth, they are unfit to rule. They will wreck society and bring misery to their subjects. This is why philosophers should be rulers, for they have knowledge the ignorant masses do not:

"... there will be no end to the troubles ... till philosophers become kings in this world ... and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands … there is no other road to real happiness either for society or the individual.”

In the allegory, the prisoner who leaves the cave represents a philosopher. He is the enlightened one, the man who is best suited to rule even if his subjects are reluctant to come into the light themselves.

But those who remain inside the cave are more than reluctant philosophers. The prisoners represent the general populous who choose to be slaves to their vices. And to make matters worse, they actively reject the teachings of the philosopher.

The wider context of The Republic is also important here. Plato's mentor Socrates was executed for his philosophical teachings. Those in positions of power accused him of corrupting the youth of Athens with his ideas.

In other words, this part of the allegory is also a response to the injustice of Socrates' death, and the general lack of respect people have for philosophers.

Afterword

The Allegory of the Cave is a key part of Plato's political argument. As far as he's concerned, philosophers should be rulers, and the general population should show them more respect.

But the allegory is also about the individual. We all have the capacity to unshackle our minds, turn away from the masses, and push back against the falsehoods of our time.