The Allegory of the CaveImagine a cave. Inside that cave are prisoners who are chained up in such a way that they can only look straight forward. In front of the prisoners is a cave wall. Behind the prisoners is a fire, and in between the fire and the prisoners is a raised ledge. Behind this ledge is a roadway where men walk back and forth casting shadow puppets on the wall in front of the prisoners.
If these prisoners had been raised in this environment since birth, the shadows would be the only reality they know to be true. If they were allowed to speak to each other, they might come up with names for the various shadows on the wall. They may even hold a contest to see who can guess what the next shadow will be and award each other with praise for the correct guess.
Now, imagine what would happen if one prisoner were set free. Having lived in the dark his whole life, his first view of the fire would result in pain and temporary blindness. But after his eyes became accustomed to the light, he would be able to see the cave for what it really is. From here he would be able to leave the cave. Walking out into full sunlight, his eyes would hurt and temporary blindness would again ensue. But after his eyes grew accustomed to the sunlight, he would be able to see the world for what it truly is. It would take time for him to fully understand what he was seeing, but after a while he would know the world and the things in it.
Then the liberated prisoner would remember his past and his old home in the cave. He would remember what he thought of as real, and those still imprisoned there. He would hold in his heart a certain amount of contempt for the praise awarded for their silly competitions.
If he returned to the cave, and to the prisoners, what would they think of him? Most probably they would lash out violently against him and perhaps even kill him because he revealed a truth that was beyond their comprehension.
The Allegory of the Divided Line
To understand the context of the Allegory of the Cave, we also have to look at the Allegory of the Divided Line.
Imagine a line that has been unequally divided. On one side of the divide are all things that can be seen. On the other side are all things that exist in the mind. Breaking this down even further, imagine that there is a subdivision of each side. On the side of the world of sight there are shadows and reflections of objects, and there are the actual objects themselves. On the side of the world of thought there are mental pictures of objects in the world of sight, and there are ideas and ideals. (See Picture Above) The allegory of the cave is a metaphor for the progression from one side of this line to the other. From the world of conjecture to the world of wisdom.
Put another way, Plato believed that there were four levels of reality: images, sensible objects, lower forms and higher forms. Additionally, he believed that there were four methods of comprehending these forms: imagination, perception, reason, and understanding. People on a lower level cannot understand the concepts expressed by those on a higher level.
Intelectual Progression
Combined, these allegories stress the importance of real education. We can view the cave as a metaphor for ignorance. An ignorant person is only capable of conjecture (guessing shadows on the wall). Once the prisoner is set free he is able to move from a world of mere conjecture to belief (seeing the fire and the cave). As the prisoner moves out of the cave, he moves into the realm of understanding. And finally, when he understands all that there is around him and learns to exercise reason, he attains wisdom.
Plato addresses the fact that acquiring this education can be a painful and arduous journey. When moving from one point of the divided line to another, our eyes may hurt, and we may be temporarily blinded. But once we adjust to the new concepts, we are able to move forward again.
The "Ideal Republic"
Plato's Republic is really a conversation that attempts to define justice. Plato's thinking was that if one could define an ideal and just system of government, then the same equation could be used to define a just man living an ideal life. He applies the macro to the micro, and vice-versa, in analogous terms.
Plato identifies three classes of people: the producers, the auxiliaries, and the guardians.
Producers - Those lacking intelligence, strength, and bravery. (Plato's working class)
Auxiliaries - Those who possess a moderate amount of intellect and strength, but who are extraordinarily brave. (Military and Police)
Guardians - Those who are wise, brave, and virtuous. (The government)
When taken in context with the rest of The Republic, we see that Plato intended for the enlightened thinkers and philosophers to be a ruling class. He envisioned a class of philosopher-kings who would rule over those of a lesser intellect, and a class of enforcers in the auxiliary to keep the producers in line. He proposed an aristocracy, believing that only the children of those in power had the capacity for being educated to become leaders. He knew that this could only work if those on the lower two rungs accepted the leadership of those above. Because of this, Plato devised the concept of the noble lie; a lie told to get the people of a society to passively accept their station in life.
Plato divided his thinking into a just state or an unjust state. He considered his aristocracy the only just state. Those that were unjust to him were: Timocracy, military rule; Oligarchy, rule by the wealthy; Democracy, mob rule; and Tyranny, rule by an individual. Plato did not consider the excluded middle, however. Something exists outside of a just state and an unjust state: no state. He based the premises of his argument on the opinion that no man can be self sufficient, that there must be a structured and well ordered society so that an individual can acquire the basic necessities, and that excessive liberty leads to a lack of self control. This is the basis for all collectivist thought.
Ethics (Back to the Cave)
Plato's idea was to raise an aristocratic class of philosopher-kings outside of the cave. They would be the only ones allowed to reside and be educated in the light. The other classes would be left inside staring at shadows on the wall. Plato's miserable attempt at ethics comes when Socrates tells Glaucon that the ethical thing to do is to descend into the cave and live there. This does not, however, mean that Glaucon was to go into the cave and chain himself up. The intention was for Glaucon to go into the cave and rule. Plato was basically advocating intellectual slavery as right and just.
The ethical thing to do would be to free ALL of the slaves, even if they were hostile toward you for doing it.
We Are All In The Cave
"It is not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance, that is the death of knowledge." ~ Alfred North Whitehead
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." ~ Confucius
What Plato describes in the Republic is eerily similar to our current condition. What we have today is an amalgamation of an aristocracy combined with an oligarchy and disguised as representative democracy.
We have a ruling class. They are educated differently than most of the population. At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, let it be noted that formal logic and true liberal arts have been completely removed from our public education system. (See further reading section below) Our military and police act as an auxiliary, keeping the producers in line both at home and overseas. And the productive class watches hours of television daily. Like slaves watching shadows on a cave wall, people dumb themselves down on a daily basis and call it reality. Everyone seems to passively accept their station in life. The noble lie seems to be working.
Our noble lie is different than Plato's. Instead of uniting the collective for some perceived greater good, it works against us all. The only similarity is that it restricts the liberty of those of us who would fall under Plato's lower two castes. I should know, I have been a member of both.
But there is hope. In his wildest dreams and deepest thoughts, Plato could not have imagined the world we live in today. We have something that has the potential to set us all free. With this tool, every man has the potential to be a philosopher. We have the potential to climb up out of the cave.
A look at history shows that certain technological innovations have the potential to spark massive shifts in consciousness through education of the masses. In the mid-1400s the Gutenburg Printing Press was invented. This was a contributing factor to the Renaissance (around 1400-1700) which was a precursor to the Age of Enlightenment (around 1700-1800). For the first time, people had access to information that had previously been held back from them.
Then came radio and television. Both of these technological innovations had the potential to unite us once and for all. They could have been used as a means to educate the masses. Unfortunately they were corrupted, and now serve to enslave rather than liberate.
Then something really big happened. The internet! For the first time in history, any information you can possibly think of is available at a moment's notice. As long as a person has cell phone coverage, he or she can access anything. The library of Alexandria cannot hold a candle next to what we have at our fingertips today. This is an amazing tool. Sadly, this medium is slowly being corrupted as well.
Summary (How I See It)
I enjoy reading the dialogues of Plato. The rhetoric employed by Socrates is priceless. His questions force a state of cognitive dissonance on his opponent, and a lot can be learned from the tactics of argumentation he employed.
The allegory of the cave and the divided line ring as true today as they did two thousand years ago. But today, seeing the shadows for what they really are is a simple process. Seeing the cave, and finally walking out into the light of day is as easy as connecting to the internet and searching for a proper education. This information is readily available, and most of it is completely free! Plato's Republic cost me nothing. It was downloaded wirelessly to my Kindle and I did not pay one cent for it.
Plato believed that only a class of philosopher-kings were capable of ruling themselves and ruling others. In times past, a system of government may have been required. Not everyone had the ability to gain understanding and wisdom. But the technological advancements that we live with today make complete autonomy possible for every single one of us. Plato's Republic is not a template for a free society. It is a blueprint for enslavement. We do not need philosopher-kings. We can learn to rule ourselves. We just have to stop playing Farmville on facebook and wake up!
Every time I think I have made it out of the cave, I realize that there is so much more out there that I need to know. I have accepted my own ignorance. I may not be outside in full daylight, but I can at least see the cave and the fire. And I am climbing my way out of the cave one little bit of information at a time.
To see the cave is the first step in leaving it, and that step is a very easy one to take.
See you at Galt's Gulch!
FURTHER READING
Anthem by Ayn Rand
(Amazon)The Great Conversation by Robert Maynard Hutchins (Full Text Available Online)
The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom
(Amazon)The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto
(Amazon)Why People Fail To Recognize Their Own Incompetence (Full Text Available Online)
The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America (Full Text Available Online)
15 comments:
Excellent post.
Thanks
may i suggest for future reading the PIG to Islam. very enlightening as well
Since I moderate comments, I am the final arbiter of what gets posted in the comments section. I thought long and hard about publishing the comment above. Finally, I opted to publish it. For those who are unaware, PIG stands for Politically Incorrect Guide.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Plato or philosophy, and it is telling. The anonymous commenter obviously thinks that this book, above all others, belongs high on the list of literature to read pertaining to our Great Conversation.
That is for you, the reader, to decide. I do not agree with it, but to each their own. I posted the comment. Everyone has a right to express their beliefs, and I do not want to be the one to censor opinion.
"I realize that there is so much more out there that I need to know. I have accepted my own ignorance. I may not be outside in full daylight, but I can at least see the cave and the fire. And I am climbing my way out of the cave one little bit of information at a time."
me too.
The United States founding fathers were no strangers to ancient forms of government, nor would I imagine to Plato's Republic. Their solution to the governance dilemma was to make every citizen a sovereign unto himself and not to a monarch, thus liberating him from the tyranny of philosopher kings, no matter how noble or enlightened. The government's stated limited purpose was merely to provide essential services.
While we are all kings of our own political castles, with treaties so to speak with our respective governments, we have squandered this sovereignty with entangling commercial agreements and abrogation of duties. I doubt Plato would have foreseen a scenario where the slaves having come out of the cave and being given the chance to be each their own kings, would reject that in favor of self re-shackling.
J Scott Hamilton,
Dynamite comment! Thanks for posting.
The founding fathers, like Plato, thought they had it all figured out. They devised a system with checks and balances so that the government would ensure individual liberty for all. Oh how far we have come since then.
Our current dilemma shows us that there is no perfect system. We have shackled ourselves. All governments, sooner or later, tend toward tyranny. Our government is no different than any other in this respect. This leads me to believe that the best system is no system at all.
"The best system is no system at all"
My journey into the light progressed exactly as you stated here. Once accustomed to the light, I began to see more and more. I began to see through, and beyond all the "noble lies", even those of the so-called "tea party patriots", Threepers, Oath keepers, etc... All of these are simply circular paths that lead back to the cave.
EXCELLENT post Sarge!
Nice post. Thanks for offering it up.
It's tempting to do some rambling in response about how vulnerable each of us is to believing we've come out of the cave, about how many two-legged creatures are walking around on this planet thinking they've done so, but every cell of them carrying diametrically opposing certainties where the nature of the light, the nature of 'truth' is to be found.
The same is true throughout human history, Plato notwithstanding, certainly Plato until now. A lot of good has come out of it for human beings, balanced by equal amounts of bloodshed when the pendulum of popular truth swung on the other side of the circle.
I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing it.
Craig, I agree. All of those organizations and groups like to claim libertarian roots, but they are mostly just a fringe of the status quo. They say the only difference between a libertarian and an anarchist is 7 years. It happens a lot faster for some of us.
Jules, I don't think any of us can ever truly make it out of the cave because no one can know all that there is to know. When you look at it on an issue by issue basis though, you are able to claim residence in the light. I find that every time I feel like I have made it out, I stumble upon something that reinforces how much more I need to learn. This life long learning process is what Plato was alluding to. Those who are in the cave accept their gubment skooling as a good education and stop there. Learning how to learn helps one see the cave, and continuing education enables one to see the light.
Very thought-provoking post. [Here via "KeepItSimpleSurvival" via "TheElectorRetards"]
Have skimmed "The Republic" so knew it's formal caste-system approach with children raised by the State and power in the hands of the Few; also knew of Cave-metaphor but your fast-forwarding & equating those flickering fire-images with TV (also how about movies of course, but the way-too-much time spent on YouTube 'flickerings')is really original and on target.
May I recommend a book for background on Hollywood and the use of most ALL storytelling-via-moving-images - whether commercials, series TV or movies: the first 150 pages of, "Outside Hollywood: the Young Christian's Guide to Vocational Filmmaking," by Isaac Botkin.
Of course it is heavily 'Christian' (no secret or surprise) but the History in those 150 pages is footnoted and invaluable. I thought I knew a lot about Hollywood-propagandizing and communism's influence in TV & movies but this really got specific and clarified & crystallized some of my thoughts.
Thanks. I look forward to reading here more often.
I good article, I appreciate it and Craig's use of imagery in his blog as well.
I found some more thoughts about the words of the DOI here:
http://strike-the-root.com/divine-right-of-kings-in-sheeples-clothing
Please enlighten me as to what this means: "...I began to see...even those of the so-called "tea party patriots", Threepers, Oath keepers, etc... All of these are simply circular paths that lead back to the cave."
Secondly, perhaps I can be persuaded otherwise, but I disagree with this statement: "...The founding fathers, like Plato, thought they had it all figured out. They devised a system with checks and balances so that the government would ensure individual liberty for all. Oh how far we have come since then."
I'm going to butcher the quote and likely improper attribution, but wasn't it Adams that said that our system was designed for a Christian/religious people, and that it is wholly unsuitable for any other (type of people)? They knew that our system had faults but that it would be workable for those who were self-constrained by Biblical teachings (character, really). We were "that type of people" then, as a whole, but not now, so our system will no longer work.
I'm no philosopher but this makes sense to me. I'm open to reason, though.
I will not attempt to answer for Craig, but I will give you my take. The Tea Party and other organizations have moved away from their libertarian roots and have been corrupted by establishment republican doctrine. They are now offshoots of the status quo. The only thing binding them together is being anti-Obama and anti-government run healthcare. See my post on the anti-crowd (July 5, 2011) for more about this topic. The cave, in this instance, is the status quo.
Your note on John Adams is a fallacious appeal to tradition. You are taking the words of one man in history and ascribing the meaning to all of history. Just because a person said something a couple hundred years ago, does not make it true. In fact, many of our founding fathers were deists (a modern equivalent would be a unitarian or an agnostic.) They believed in a higher power, but did not conform to any one organized religion. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin come to mind.
The fact is, there are many non-Christians in america today, just as in times past. Libertarianism seeks to find the most equitable way for all people to live with each other, Christian and non-Christian alike.
I am a Christian, so please don't think that I am attacking the Christian faith. I just see things differently. Nowhere in the Bible, does it say that we should try to bring about the kingdom of heaven on earth. That is Christ's job. Nowhere does it say that we should set up a government to force people to live a Christian lifestyle. Jesus was very specific when he said that two most important things we were to do was love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. Above all things, those were His instructions.
The nonaggression axiom, of which all of libertarianism is founded upon, is just a rewording of the Golden Rule.
Christianity is a voluntary choice. It is a personal relationship between man and God. This cannot be forced on anyone, by an individual or by a government.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." ROMANS 12:2
This means get out of the cave!
Sgt.
I think what Adams means is that the idea of pure libertarianism or Anarchism is only valid for a people who have a firm foundation of respect. This is what keeps me from crossing the line completely.
I am a libertarian and a 3%. However I am not naive enough to think that we are anywhere close to living in a world that truely respects the rights of others at the most basic level. I think the goal of the 3% and the whole RTC movement is to get us back to the starting point the founders laid for us and then going forward make sure that we build that foundation of respect. As it is we cannot flip a switch into a "no system" situation or it will be Somalia as the critics of libertarians like to throw out. If the people have been fed a steady diet of envy and claim to the efforts of others when it is removed they will continue to expect that diet.
Short steps..before we run.
Grenadier1
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