Plato asks us to imagine a cave where people have been imprisoned from childhood, but not from birth. These prisoners are chained so that their legs and necks are fixed, forcing them to gaze at the wall in front of them and not to look around at the cave, each other, or themselves Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway with a low wall, behind which people walk carrying objects or puppets "of men and other living things" The prisoners cannot see any of what is happening behind them, they are only able to see the shadows cast upon the cave wall in front of them. The sounds of the people talking echo off the walls, and the prisoners believe these sounds come from the shadows
The shadows are reality for the prisoners because they have never seen anything else; they do not realize that what they see are shadows of objects in front of a fire, much less that these objects are inspired by real things outside the cave which they do not see.
The fire, or human-made light, and the puppets, used to make shadows, are done by the artists.
Also, few humans will ever escape the cave.
A freed prisoner would look around and see the fire. The light would hurt his eyes and make it difficult for him to see the objects casting the shadows. If he were told that what he is seeing is real instead of the other version of reality he sees on the wall, he would not believe it. In his pain, Plato continues, the freed prisoner would turn away and run back to what he is accustomed to (that is, the shadows of the carried objects). He writes "... it would hurt his eyes, and he would escape by turning away to the things which he was able to look at, and these he would believe to be clearer than what was being shown to him."
Plato continues: "Suppose... that someone should drag him... by force, up the rough ascent, the steep way up, and never stop until he could drag him out into the light of the sun." The prisoner would be angry and in pain, and this would only worsen when the radiant light of the sun overwhelms his eyes and blinds him.
"Slowly, his eyes adjust to the light of the sun. First he can see only shadows. Gradually he can see the reflections of people and things in water and then later see the people and things themselves. Eventually, he is able to look at the stars and moon at night until finally he can look upon the sun itself
This prisoner would be excited about learning this truth and would wish to return to the cave to show the others in the cave what he has seen. Plato concludes that the prisoners would be angry and call this person crazy. If they were able, they would reach out and kill anyone who attempted to drag them out of the cave
Plato’s Cave Animation
https://youtu.be/69F7GhASOdM
Thank you!! Red Pill ammo. I am sending this to my sheep friends and telling them to watch and that it will make more sense to them in the near future.
Who needs Freud? Plato understood human nature better. “What has been will be again. What was done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun” Ec. 1:9
Plato was a good secretary. He recorded what Socrates taught him.
He was nothing more than a good student
Socrates and Aristotle are the big brains of that era.
I love this story, and this community. Alongnthe allegory, we must teach people tonseek advemture not mundane.
Ivd had a lot of luck with telling people "The mark of an educated mind is the ability to entertain an idea without accepting it."
Sad otherwise, "Hey grandma I know you dont believe this stuff but will you pretend with me for a moment?" Has been very effective.
"Hypothetically, come along a journey with me.."
How do we get them to want to get perspective? all are curious but have defenses.
Instead of changing their mind, request a hypothetically/pretend scenario so they can try out the idea. Its like asking the chained prisoners tonlook away from the shadows.
The prisoners are chained to the cave (attached to their thoughts). You cannot change their thoughts but if you give them the eyes to see they can remove their chains themselves. Dont attack the chains, give them a different part of the cave to look at so they yearn for something else.
"Its easier to fool somebody than to convince them theyve been fooled"
"You cant tell them you have to show them"
I agree. Obviously
Thank you, thank you for bringing this to us ! - SO TRUE !
All things of universal wisdom have been laid before us by those in the past.
Remember also the "Seven Pillars of Tyranny" . . . .
You are correct and while it is thought provoking when read, it is utterly terrifying to see in real time everywhere you look. The allegory of the cave was one of two things that I remember from reading Plato in high school. It always is stuck in my mind. I never thought I would see it play out in my life.
This, we have the Normies and Sheeple. Cave dwellers, the lot of them.
Honestly after the past year I think I prefer being the awakened person outside the cave. Sir eyes some people do deserve to be told the truth and rescued from the cave but the majority no. They deserve to stay in that cave, I’m perfectly content living on the outside without them, it’s not such huge a bad place to be. Cut your ties and be free
"When faced with true freedom, man begs for the shackles of tyranny."
I can't remember where I read that, but it always stuck with me.
(It might have been a book on personal finance and the slavery of debt.)