Plato's Cave
The parable of Plato's Cave is the most famous in philosophy. Central to it all is the relationship between light and shadows, form and appearances.
Plato (428-348 BC) was the greatest student of Socrates. In fact we only know of Socrates (who never wrote a word) through Plato's brilliant texts. The important 20th century philosopher and mathematician A.N. Whitehead, once descibed all Western philosophy as a "footnote to Plato". He was not far wrong. Plato is to philosophy what Shakespeare is to literature.
But back to the parable. Plato asked us to picture a group of slaves (very significant choice) chained up and facing a wall in a cave. Behind them is a burning fire that creates a shadow play on the wall. The unfortunate slaves think that these shadow images (appearances) are in fact the full extent of the world.
Outside the cave, however, the sun shines brightly. It is the true Light and the true Cosmos (all that is). But the slaves never see it. The problem is, says Plato, that people have substituted a shadow world of appearances (i.e. things as they appear to us) for the Ideal Form of things-as-they-actually-are in the Mind of God.
Hundreds of books have been written on this subject, especially on its relationship to the theory of knowledge and to spirituality, but the major takeaway is this:
Do not trust your senses. They are part of your experience as a slave to the material world. A far better guide to true liberation comes from leaving the world of appearances behind and seeking the True Light - revealed to us through intuition, dreams, prophecy and the arts.
Aldous Huxley began his book on "The Doors of Perception" (1954) with these words from William Blake:
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern."
Let us not forget that Huxley also predicted the contemporary world in his book "Brave New World" (1932).
Plato's Cave
The parable of Plato's Cave is the most famous in philosophy. Central to it all is the relationship between light and shadows, form and appearances.
Plato (428-348 BC) was the greatest student of Socrates. In fact we only know of Socrates (who never wrote a word) through Plato's brilliant texts. The important 20th century philosopher and mathematician A.N. Whitehead, once descibed all Western philosophy as a "footnote to Plato". He was not far wrong. Plato is to philosophy what Shakespeare is to literature.
But back to the parable. Plato asked us to picture a group of slaves (very significant choice) chained up and facing a wall in a cave. Behind them is a burning fire that creates a shadow play on the wall. The unfortunate slaves think that these shadow images (appearances) are in fact the full extent of the world.
Outside the cave, however, the sun shines brightly. It is the true Light and the true Cosmos (all that is). But the slaves never see it. The problem is, says Plato, that people have substituted a shadow world of appearances (i.e. things as they appear to us) for the Ideal Form of things-as-they-actually-are in the Mind of God.
Hundreds of books have been written on this subject, especially on its relationship to the theory of knowledge and to spirituality, but the major takeaway is this:
Do not trust your senses. They are part of your experience as a slave to the material world. A far better guide to true liberation comes from leaving the world of appearances behind and seeking the True Light - revealed to us through intuition, dreams, prophecy and the arts.
Aldous Huxley began his book on "The Doors of Perception" (1954) with these words from William Blake:
"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern."
Let us not forget that Huxley also predicted the contemporary world in his book "Brave New World" (1932).