Understanding Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Within philosophy, Plato's Allegory of the Cave is almost unparalleled in its fame as a way of describing the human condition. Written as a conversation between the philosopher Socrates and Glaucon, it is contained within Plato's Republic, written more than 2,400 years ago. Since then, it has been referenced in a John Lennon song and provided - at least in part - the inspiration for The Matrix movies.

The Allegory is one of the more accessible and important pieces in philosophy. Here's your guide to understanding Plato's work.

Plato establishes an elaborate hypothetical, with humans in an underground cave only able to see in a single direction. A fire is lit out of sight above and behind them, and it casts shadows against the wall in front of them. These shadows are the only things the prisoners can see, and men are constantly carrying objects in front of the flame. Plato hypothesizes that if the prisoners in the cave are able to talk amongst themselves, they will name the shadows and treat them as if they are real - they will know no differently. But if a prisoner is released from the cave, they will be confused and disorientated. The objects will seem strange and foreign since he is used to seeing only their shadows. Similarly, if the man is forced to look to the heavens he will be disorientated at first but gradually come to understand "his proper place in the world." This knowledge will be foreign and strange to the people left in the cave, since it is so far beyond their understanding.

The allegory serves to illustrate what Plato sees as the process of illumination and education. Humanity is represented by the prisoners chained within the cave, and life is nothing more than the shadows on the wall. While we see these shadows as natural and complete, they are little more than the reflection of something larger - something obscured from our view and something the majority of us will never know.