Plato

Plato

1. ANALOGY OF THE CAVE

   • Prisoners in a cave are chained and can only face towards the back wall.
     • The cave represents the world of things and people where knowledge is gained through senses - Plato described as the world of illusion.
     • The chained prisoners represent ordinary, unenlightened people.
   • A fire burns outside of the cave with objects passing it, casting shadows on the wall.
   • The prisoners believe the shadows are real as they cannot see the objects themselves.
     • The shadows appear to be real because the prisoners experience them with their senses.
   • One of the prisoners is released and is allowed to leave the cave.
     • The released prisoner represents the philosopher, who questions the reality of the shadows and where they came from.
   • After a tough journey the released prisoner goes outside of the cave and sees the sun.
     • The journey represents the journey of the mind or soul when a person examines the world around them.
   • Outside of the cave the sun reveals a beautiful, colourful world, which is more meaningful and engaging than the shadows were.
     • The world outside of the cave is the real world of forms. The sun represents the Form of the Good.
   • The released prisoner returns to the cave to tell the others of what he has seen.
     • The philosopher tries to help others break free from the illusion, knowing that to have true knowledge prisoners must strive to see the Forms.

2. FORMS

   • Forms are ideas/concepts of what things are.
     • They are unchanging.
   • Plato argues that the true forms of things must exist somewhere.
     • Real world = world of forms.
     • World we live in = world of appearances.

3. RECOGNISING FORMS

   • We are born with a dim recollection from our prior existence in the world of forms.
     • PRIORI
       • POSTERIORI
         • 'from what comes after' - knowledge gained through experience.
       • 'from what comes before' - knowledge gained by reasoning, irrespective of experience.

4. FORM OF THE GOOD

   • The source of all existence and perfection - gives life to other things.
     • When aware of the Form of the Good you can achieve true enlightenment.