Allegory of the Cave

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book 7 of Republic. Plato in his work express is views about the ignorance of mankind and the refusal to accept reality. Through this world Plato creates, he articulates an argument and conveys his belief that truth and realities lie deep in each one of us, and can only be extracted through a painful and torturous journey into ones inner self.

The passage questions the very nature of reality. He believes we only see a representation of reality and are oblivious to the fact that we essentially are being cheated by our own minds that lead us into believing without any rationality or logical reasoning. However Plato believes that one may achieve enlightenment through a constant struggle and once achieved we move to a platform higher than all others.