Behold! human beings living in an underground cave,
which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; 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.
- You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
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 they would only see the shadows?
- Yes, he said.
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?
- No question, he replied.
To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.
- That is certain.
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?
- Far truer.
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?
- That is true.
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and
held fast until he 's 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 said.
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 cave 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 honors 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 honors and
glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,
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 . . .
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 cave, 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.
