The “Allegory of the Cave” is one of the most well-remembered segments of Plato’s “Republic.” Plato structures this particular story as a dialogue between his older brother, Glaucon, and his deceased mentor, Socrates - the latter of whom orates the tale of the cave and its prisoners to the former. Put most simply, this text suggests that human beings are locked into one kind of existence from birth - that the reality they perceive is merely a collection of shadows on the cave wall, so to speak - and that the natural philosopher-kings among us must necessarily rise out of this life to see the true world, that they might later return to the shadow world and lead the lost echelons of society.
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Author: Plato Interest Levels: 9 - 12 |
Reading Levels: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 |
