In Intro to Philosophy 101, the nature of the very first lesson piqued my interest in philosophy. The first lesson was Plato’s allegory of the cave. In it, there is a group of prisoners with their heads locked into place deep inside of a cave. All they have ever seen is shadows flickering on the wall in front of them. Then, one prisoner breaks free. The escapee climbs out of the cave and see reality is not just shadows on a wall, but a rich and vibrant reality. They run back down to the other prisoners and breathlessly explain to them what they had seen.
The other prisoners laugh and roll their eyes. “Impossible!” they roar. The other prisoners don’t believe the escapee,
I think this the way it is to be enlightened. What do you think the story is an allegory for?
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