A Brief Account Of Plato's Myth of the cave in "the republic"

Philosophy 1200

Topic: Give a brief account of Plato’s Myth of the Cave in “the Republic.” What do the interior of the cave and the world outside of it represent, respectively? How does the cave map onto the Divided Line?

























Submitted to: Dr. Sean McGrath
Submitted by: Nadine Mahoney
Student number: 9926692
Plato’s most famous passage is the myth of the Cave, which occurs in the Republic. Through an account of his myth the symbolic meanings of both the interior of the cave and the outside worlds are portrayed. Also the relationship between the cave Divided Line is also revealed.
In Plato’s analogy the cave is connected to the outside world by a long passage
that prevents daylight from penetrating in. Within the cave there is a row of prisoners
with their backs to the entrance. They are chained, including their heads, which prevent them from seeing themselves or one another. The only thing visible is the wall in front of them. This situation is the only thing they have known their whole lives. Behind them burns a bright fire and between the prisoners and this fire are objects as high as a man. Behind the objects there are people passing by carrying objects on their heads. Shadows of these objects are cast on the wall in front of the prisoners by the fire. Voices from the outside world are heard as they echo from the wall. The shadows and the echoes are the only entities experienced by the prisoners and constitute all the reality ...