[en] Allegory of the Cave, by Plato's

16 Jul, 2026

This is a text that needs no introduction. If you had any philosophy classes during middle and/or high school, you'll have at least a basic idea of who Plato was and what the text in this post's title portrays. This little book, which I had the chance to acquire, is an excerpt of a conversation taken from Book VII of "The Republic." In it, Plato gives voice to the dialogue between Socrates (his mentor) and Glaucon (his brother).

In the myth, Plato describes a cave full of people chained their whole lives with their backs to the cave's opening. On the wall, they can only see shadows of people and objects passing outside the cave, which the light causes to reflect as silhouettes on the wall. They can also hear the sounds made to imitate each of the shadows. These sounds and shadows are all the prisoners are able to perceive, and they are not a true representation of reality. Meanwhile, the objects reflected inside the cave by the sun are the true representations of the Forms.

He then moves on to an explanation of what a philosopher is: a being who has freed himself from the cave and seeks/comes to understand that the shadows and sounds perceived within the cave are not reality. A philosopher is a person who seeks to perceive and understand greater levels of reality. Meanwhile, the other prisoners have no such desire, because they know no better life.

A point that this conversation addresses in more depth than the school texts usually presented is that it is the freed philosopher's (the one who left the cave) job to return and try to free the people who are still there. Even knowing that in this process the individual may be ridiculed, misunderstood, and even killed. This point speaks to the idea that the elevation of the self is not just about the acquisition of knowledge, but rather the social and political cost (more on this below) of bringing that knowledge back to those still trapped in a world that doesn't reflect reality.

Reading the allegory of the cave after reading The Burnout Society was interesting because the keyword remains the same when both authors address the theme of philosophy. Contemplation is the most important term in both works. The activity of contemplation, which by nature must be slow and deep, is what allows human beings to reach a greater sense of reality and knowledge. Without contemplation, we are doomed to be slaves to the reality we know, keeping ourselves prisoners in our own cave.

In the dialogue, Socrates also addresses other themes relevant to today, such as politics and education. It's curious to read the thoughts of the ancients and see that their reflections still hold up today. The concern with education, even though simpler in the number of subjects compared to what we have today, makes clear that people's literacy has always been a topic of great concern in philosophy. Furthermore, activities like gymnastics¹ were of great importance when worked together with mathematics and philosophy. Only after an individual reached a certain level of formation and detachment from worldly desires was he capable of serving the State, and consequently knowing what was best for the people.

[…] If you can discover a way of life that for the rulers is better than ruling [than power itself], your well-governed State will become a possibility, because in it only the truly rich will rule — not those who are rich in gold, but those who are wealthy in the riches necessary for happiness, namely, a good and wise life. […]

In other words, the one most fit to rule is precisely the one who has no desire for power or riches. He left the cave and saw reality. But how do you convince him to return to the cave and free the other beings who reside there, given that naturally he wouldn't have such a desire? Even so, according to Socrates, he would need to fulfill his social and political role in society, because he is the most fit.

A great text overall, and an extremely pleasant read.

• Rating: 4/5
• ISBN: 978-85-7283-941-9