In Plato's Republic, Book VII, the philosopher (Socrates) uses an allegory known as the "Myth of the Cave" to illustrate that there are two worlds, one of change or impermanence and one of stability and permanence. The sensible, or what Plato (101) calls the "visible," world is the world of change and impermanence, the world of "becoming." In contrast to this world of change, there is an "intelligible" realm that is the world of Forms, absolute virtues or ideals that can only be glimpsed by transcending the visible realm through contemplation or philosophical inquiry (Plato 101). This analysis will offer a response to Plato's theory of Forms and as expressed through his allegory in "Myth of the Cave." A conclusion will address why the "Myth of the Cave" is still relevant to contemporary audiences.
In Plato's worldview as expressed in the "Myth of the Cave," human beings exist in the world of becoming, a world that is impermanent and always changing. Another world exists that transcends this world but also informs it in Plato's view. This realm is the world of being that cannot be known by the senses, but only through intellect or contemplation. Those that strive toward the light in the cave understand the importance of reaching toward knowledge of absolute, unchanging and universal truths that exist in the light outside the shadows of the cave. Those in the "visible" realm are actually trapped by ignorance. As Plato (101) explains it to Glaucon, "The realm of the visible should be compared to the prison dwelling, and the fire inside it to the power of the sun." Those who fail to contemplate wisdom beyond the senses or visible world are locked in a virtual intellectual prison in Plato's view, pacified by forms that are mere illusions or shadows.
One of the most provocative aspects of Plato's view in the "Myth of the Cave" is his association of the soul with the world of the Forms. The ideality ...