The Profound Meaning of Plato's Allegory of the Cave

[Uncle Joe]

In this episode we explore Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave", its connection to ancient myths, and the ultimate narrative archetype we know as the Hero’s Journey. Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" is one of the most influential philosophical concepts ever introduced, encapsulating timeless questions about reality, knowledge, perception, and enlightenment. Located in Plato's seminal work, "The Republic," the Allegory of the Cave serves as a metaphorical narrative depicting the human condition's journey from ignorance to enlightenment.

The Athenian philosopher Plato (c. 428-347 B.C.) is one of the most important figures of the Ancient Greek world and the entire history of Western thought. In his written dialogues he conveyed and expanded on the ideas and techniques of his teacher Socrates.

The Academy he founded was by some accounts the world’s first university and in it he trained his greatest student, the equally influential philosopher Aristotle. Plato’s recurring fascination was the distinction between ideal forms and everyday experience, and how it played out both for individuals and for societies. In the “Republic,” his most famous work, he envisioned a civilization governed not by lowly appetites but by the pure wisdom of a philosopher-king.

[LoisB]

1. Very interesting, thank you.

[c-rational]

2. Wonderful post. Thanks.

[Warpy]

3. They skipped this one in Dixie

Last edited Thu Apr 18, 2024, 07:59 PM - Edit history (2)

They skipped a lot in Dixie because they didn't want the kiddies to think outside the Southern Baptist cave My education in ancient classics occurred in the public library and at home with books I'd checked out. When all they said about Prometheus was that he stole some fire from the gods and gave it to humans end of story, I went back to reading during class.

It's just as well, they'd have bungled any discussion about what the stories mean.

ETA: Thanks for this site, any site that puts George Carlin next to Alan W. Watts is a winner..

[Jim__]

4. "... educators are mistaken in their view that it is possible to implantknowledge into a person ..."

"... then some of our educators are mistaken in their view that it is possible to implant knowledge into a person that wasn’t there originally"

From The Allegory of the Cave. The ellipses in the excerpt are only of things like Glaucon saying, "I agree Socrates."

...

Socrates: ^518a But one who has his wits about him would remember
that there are two things that pain the eyes: being
brought from darkness to light, and transitioning back
from light to darkness. Now, considering that the soul
experiences the same discomfort, this man would not
make light of another when he met with a confused
soul. He would take the time to understand if that soul
was coming from a luminous realm and his eyes were
blinded by darkness, or ^518b whether journeying from
the darkness of ignorance into an illuminated state
had overwhelmed his eyes. One, he would consider
fortunate. He would pity the other—and if he laughed
at either, it would be less justified if he laughed at the
expense of the one who was descending from the light
above.

...

Socrates: Of course, if I’m correct, then some of our educators
are mistaken in their view that it is possible to implant
knowledge into a person that wasn’t there originally,
like vision into the eyes of a blind man.

...

Socrates: What our message now signifies is that the ability and
means of learning is already present in the soul. As the
eye could not turn from darkness to light unless the
whole body moved, so it is that the mind can only turn
around from the world of becoming to that of Being by
a movement of the whole soul. The soul must learn, by
degrees, to endure the contemplation of Being and the
luminous realms. This is the Good, agreed?

...

I agree that you can't describe vision to man born blind, like vision into the eyes of a blind man, but I disagree that some of our educators are mistaken in their view that it is possible to implant knowledge into a person that wasn’t there originally. I believe you can indeed teach a person something he does not already know.