The Analogy of the Cave was used by Plato, who was a classic Greek philosopher, in his work of ‘The Republic’ to illustrate “our nature in its education and want of education”. The Analogy of the Cave is a fictional story created by Plato’s teacher ‘Socrates’ and Plato’s brother ‘Glaucon’. The Analogy of the Cave is related to Plato’s theory of the Forms - Plato believed that behind every concept (e.g. beauty) or object (e.g. a flower) in the visible world, there is an unseen reality, which he calls its Form. There is, for example a form of beauty and a form of a flower. The forms may be seen as ideal blueprints for the particular earthly examples of beauty or flowers, and so on, which Plato calls particulars. Plato’s analogy of the cave:-
Three prisoners had been chained deep inside a dark cave for their entire lives. They were chained so tightly that all they had ever seen or experienced was the grotesque shadows that were cast on to the wall from a fire that was burning behind them. This was the only reality they had ever known. Then one day, a prisoner was set free. He was blinded at first by the bright sun shine and he was amazed to see a completely new reality of people, animals, and objects casting the shadows in to the cave. He hurried back to the cave to tell the other prisoners the news but to his dismay, the prisoners did not believe his story of the world outside the cave. The shadows were the only reality the prisoners had ever known, and therefore to them, that was all that would ever exist. The prisoners represent ordinary people(like us) who have not yet discovered true knowledge. They have been misled by what they see in to believing that there is nothing beyond shadow play, which for them is the full extent of reality. In the same way, our senses convince us that is nothing beyond what they experience. However, our mistakes is as serious as the prisoners’ and just as obvious to those who know the truth. The shadow play represents the illusion created by our senses. Just as the shadows seemed real to the prisoners, exhibiting order and structure, so the sights and sounds that we experience seem real. They are both, however, equally mistaken because the senses cannot access reality. Plato emphasises the misconception of the illusion by describing shadows of artificial objects cast by flickering firelight; nothing could be further removed from reality. The cave represents the visible world, where the shadows (representing appearances) seem more real than truth itself. It also, however, represents the human body, which imprisons the soul. Just as a cave gives rise to the shadow play, so the body provides us with illusions from our senses. Since these illusions seem more real than reality, the body stops the soul from looking for true knowledge. The journey out of the cave in to the outside world represents the philosopher’s discovery of true knowledge. The prisoner had to loosen his chains and escape from the cave before he could see reality. In the same way, the philosopher must free himself from the illusion created by his senses by using his mind to gain knowledge. Plato emphasises that this journey is painful and confusing because it involves rejecting everything that he has ever known. Like the prisoner, we are amazed and frightened by reality, which is so much greater than our reflections of the forms. The beauty of a painting for example, is illusory and only a poor approximation of the Form of Beauty ; this is why the Forms are sometimes called Ideals.
The forms are primarily different from the visible world in that they are not made of or dependant upon physical matter. As the source of all knowledge, the Forms must be totally consistent; that is, eternal and unchanging. They are therefore immaterial, which is why they cannot be detected by our senses. Although different from the visible world, the Forms nevertheless relate to it. Unlike the Forms, the particulars depend on physical matter and are changeable and imperfect. Plato believed that the only reason why we can recognise and classify things in the visible word is because of the resemblance they bear to the Forms, vague though this is. For example, cats come in different colours, shapes, sizes and deformities. For Plato, their distinguishing feature is the fact that they all share something of the Form of the cat. Since we have some awareness of this in our minds, we can recognise their identity. The same is true with concepts like equality; we recognise two shapes being equal because we have some awareness of the Form of equality. This raises the question of how we can be aware of the Forms when they are beyond our senses. Plato answers this by arguing that each and every human has an immortal soul that had access to the Forms before it was implanted in the body. We therefore have an innate knowledge of them that can be developed through rational thought, which enables the soul to recall its memories. Plato believed that the different forms are all connected to each other in a fixed order of importance. Most important of all is the form of the Good, which is central to existence of the whole universe. It is the principle of order, which structures the other Forms, giving each one its own nature. Without this Form, there would be no ideal of beauty or justice and so on.
As the sun gives life to all things and illuminates them, enabling us to see them for what they are, so the Form of the Good gives rise to all knowledge, enabling us to recognise the other Forms. The highest task of the philosopher is to gain knowledge of the Good, for this will lead to full understanding and rational behaviour.