The allegory of the cave describes a group of people chained in a cave their whole lives, seeing only shadows projected on the cave wall. One prisoner escapes and sees the true objects outside, but when he returns to the cave to tell the others, they do not believe him. Plato and Socrates believed that those who have escaped the cave and seen reality should govern society, rather than allowing direct democracy by the prisoners who only see shadows. This allegory influences modern democratic systems where politicians govern on behalf of citizens.

1. Allegory of the Cave
Warning:Mind may explode.

2. First
Clear your mind. Forget everything we have learned in this
class. All you need to do right now is to think about what
you hear.

3. What is real?
How do we know what is real?
What is knowledge what is the value of knowledge?
What kind of government should we have?

4. Vocabulary
Allegory: A symbolic story
Enlightened freed from ignorance and misinformation.
Marionette a puppet worked from above by strings attached to
its limbs.
Converse: Talk

5. Read the first 2 paragraphs and draw exactly what
you read.

6. 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.
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.

8. In the story one of the prisoners escapes, he is able
to turn his head and for the first time he sees not just
a shadow but the real objects. His mind cannot
comprehend this at first.

9. Later that prisoner exits the cave and sees not just
the real objects in the cave, but the actual world.
Again he has a very hard time understanding
everything at first because it is all new to him.

10. Eventually he returns to the cave and tries to tell the
other prisoners what he saw but they do not believe
him because all they have EVER seen is shadows

11. Plato and Socrates believed that the people that
should lead society are the people that have
escaped from the cave and have seen the outside.
These ideas influence us today and this is why we
do not vote directly for things. Instead we elect
politicians that govern for us. For example members
of Congress, School board, etc.

12. In your day to day life, who do you think you are in
this story?
●Can you see the sunlight?
●Do you think you are outside of the cave?
●Is anyone in society truly outside of the Cave?
●How do you exit the cave?
●If you are out how do you know?
●If you are out who is left inside?
●What obligation do those have that see more to
those who see less?

13. What do you notice about this image?

14. What is wrong with this map