“Myth of the Cave” by the Greek philosopher Plato(n)

Nikola Benin

Imagine a cave where people have been imprisoned from childhood. 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 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 people walk behind the wall so their bodies do not cast shadows for the prisoners to see, but the objects they carry do ("just as puppet showmen have screens in front of them at which they work their puppets". The prisoners cannot see any of this behind them and 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 shadowed wall, and the prisoners falsely believe these sounds come from the shadows. Plato then supposes that one prisoner is freed goes outside of the cave, (he is the enlightened man, the philosopher). First he can only see shadows but gradually he can 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. Later he comes back into the cave and tries to persuade the others in the cave that the real world is outside and what they see for so many years is only shadows of the real world… but they don’t believe him and KILL him!!! ~

It is so difficult for the majority to face the truth!!!-