In the allegory of the cave, Plato presents a vision of humans in front of a fire, chained and observing the shadows on a wall in front of them. The shadows represents the only reality that they know. Plato argues that there is one basic flaw in which all humans have in common and that is, truth and goodness. The allegory gives examples of how that flaw alters our spirituality, politics and education.
The first part of the Allegory of The Cave, which is characterized by chained slaves, is a metaphor representing infants and children. Like the slaves, the children are not allowed to be free from their home and must be under their parents supervision at all times. The people living underground have their heads positioned in a way that will prevent them from looking at a fire behind them. The people can only see the shadows formed by the fire. This represents children who are curious about the objects that are surrounding them. Although the children do not understand the intricate objects around them, they are still curious and want to know the purpose and function of the object. The mindset of the people inside the cave and of children are subjective and trapped in their own ignorance. Totally submerged in isolation and without any experience, those in the cave have no idea what a true natural shadow is. Their truth is only the shadow they can see and they can not understand the meaning of it until the shadow is set free.
Moreover, The allegory shows that society is in a state of ignorance. Though the slaves are confined to one position, they accept that they are supposed to be there and that it is their role in society. Once they become exposed to the truth through a long intellectual journey, to a higher realm, discovering true reality. Someone that has gained such insight, according to plato is best equipped to rule the society, however, having knowledge of what is ultimately good may be misunderstood by the prisoners who have not obtained these insights. Plato is convinced that the best rulers in society, the philosopher-kings, are adequate not only because of their experience, education, and wisdom, but also because they do not want to rule. Nonetheless, plato finds that because of their enlightened minds, they have a duty to rule that oversteps their personal preference.
The ideal society for plato contains the correct functions of politics and motive. Plato argues that the individuals who have acquired the knowledge of virtue and truth, should lead the society. Another example is the malicious individuals who stand in front of the fire as to be able to create shadows which the prisoners see incorrectly. They are both aware of a higher level of truth and capable of manipulating average people’s perception but are still unaware of the nature of the forms and of the form of the good. Philosophers are supposed to be the ones to lead, rather than those who simply have the ability to manipulate. This is because they are knowledgeable about the virtues and the good and they are more likely to apply them to the society.
