And if anyone tried to release them and lead them up, they would kill him if they could lay hands on him.” (p.243) Sun beam in cave Implications As a result of this newfound wisdom, the prisoner is likely to decide not to return back to the cave: “it won’t be surprising if those who get so far are unwilling to involve themselves in human affairs, and if their minds long to remain in the realm above.” (p.244)Įven if the prisoner were to return, Plato believed that the other prisoners would not be tempted to listen to the returning prisoner because, upon his return, the returning prisoner would make a fool out of himself because, being accustomed to the outside light, the prisoner would at first not be able to see the shadows clearly: “they would say that his visit to the upper world had ruined his sight, and that the ascent was not worth even attempting. If, however, a prisoner would be forced out of the cave and would therefore have no other choice but to become accustomed to the light outside, he would eventually conclude that the things he previously considered to be the only true reality, were in fact mere projections. Even if he would look straight at the truth, he would not be able to see it clearly: “And if he were made to look directly at the light of the fire, it would hurt his eyes and he would turn back and retreat to the things which he could see properly, which he would think really clearer than the things being shown him.” (p.242) Plato believed that, if a prisoner would turn his head and look around the cave, or would actually leave the cave, the fire and the light from the outside world would hurt his eyes to such a degree that it would be impossible for the prisoner to see clearly. Plato argued, however, that the prisoners would not be inclined to do so voluntarily. For, tell me, do you think our prisoners could see anything of themselves or their fellows except the shadows thrown by the fire on the wall of the cave opposite them?” (p.241) Getting out of the CaveĪs a result, for the prisoners, the only true reality would be the one projected upon the wall: “in every way they would believe that the shadows of the objects we mentioned were the whole truth.” (ibid) The only way for the prisoners to discover the real truth would be for them to leave the cave. These ‘prisoners’ would then only be able to look at a wall in front of them, upon which, as a result of a fire burning inside of the cave, and all sorts of things happening between the prisoners and the fire, all sorts of projections would form.ĭespite of all kinds of things happening around them and despite of being fellow prisoners inside of this cave, the prisoners would, according to Plato, only be able to perceive these projections: “They are drawn from life, I replied. Imagine an underground chamber like a cave In this chamber are men who have been prisoners there since they were children, their legs and necks being so fastened that they can only look straight ahead of them and cannot turn their heads.” (p.241) According to Plato, the real truth is hidden from humanity because we are stuck in a ‘cave’ “I want you to go on to picture the enlightenment or ignorance of our human condition somewhat as follows. Plato used the allegory of the cave to indicate that the reality which we humans perceive to be real is only a projection. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave can be found in Plato’s book The Republic.
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