Republic VII, “The Cave Parable”

Cave world

The cave world of his cave parable is very much analogous with the material world in his theory of forms. The cave is the world of speculation and opinion. The dialogue illustrates how it is that many false notions are conceived of in incorrect identifying an image or shadow of a thing with the actual thing itself. Just as the material world was partial illuminated by the the sun in his theory of forms, the ignorance prisoners in the cave have the shadows illuminated by the fire.

Real World

Similarly his real world in the cave parable is analogous to the intelligible world in his theory of forms. As in the intelligible world is illuminated by the Good in his theory of forms, the sun in the illuminates the real world of the cave parable. In the real world of the cave parable we discover, as would the prisoners of the cave if they were ever to be freed, that beyond the shadows or images we perceive is a lawful existence responsible for generating the shadow we perceive.

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