Book VII of Plato's "The Republic"
Here's a little story from Plato's most famous book, The
Republic. Socrates is talking to a young follower of his
named Glaucon, and is telling him this fable to illustrate
what it's like to be a philosopher -- a lover of wisdom: Most
people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative
ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance,
because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth,
the process may be frightening, and many people run back to
their old lives. But if you continue to seek truth, you will
eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want
more! It's true that many people around you now may think you
are weird or even a danger to society, but you don't care.
Once you've tasted the truth, you won't ever want to go back
to being ignorant!
[Socrates is speaking with Glaucon]
[Socrates:]
And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature
is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings
living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards
the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been
from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained
so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being
prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above
and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between
the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you
will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like
the screen which marionette players have in front of them,
over which they show the puppets.
[Glaucon:] I see.
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying
all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made
of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over
the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own
shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws
on the opposite wall of the cave?
True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if
they were never allowed to move their heads?
And of the objects which are being carried in like manner,
would they not only see the shadows?
And if they were able to converse with one another, would
they not suppose that they were naming what was actually
before them?
Very true.
And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came
from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one
of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came
from the passing shadow?
To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the
shadows of the images.
And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the
prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At
first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly
to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards
the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will
distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of
which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then
conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was
an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to
being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he
has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may
further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the
objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -- will
he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which
he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now
shown to him?
And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he
not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to
take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and
which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the
things which are now being shown to him?
True.
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a
steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he is forced
into the presence of the sun himself. Is he not likely to be
pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes
will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at
all of what are now called realities.
Not all in a moment.
He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper
world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the
reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then
the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of
the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will
see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the
light of the sun by day?
Certainly.
Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere
reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his
own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate
him as he is.
Certainly.
He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the
season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in
the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all
things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to
behold?
Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason
about him.
And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of
the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he
would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?
Certainly, he would.
And if they were in the habit of conferring honours among
themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing
shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which
followed after, and which were together; and who were
therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do
you think that he would care for such honours and glories, or
envy the possessors of them? Would he not say......
“Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to
endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after
their manner.”
Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything
than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable
manner.
Imagine once more, I said, such an person coming suddenly out
of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not
be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?
To be sure, he said.
And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in
measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved
out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before
his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be
needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very
considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of
him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and
that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any
one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let
them only catch the offender, and they would put him to
death.
No question, he said.
This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear
Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the
world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you
will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards
to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world
according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have
expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether
true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge
the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with
an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the
universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of
light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the
immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and
that this is the power upon which he who would act
rationally, either in public or private life must have his
eye fixed.
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