 From the Republic of Plato comes the allegory of the cave. In the Republic, this was portrayed as a discussion between Plato's brother Glaucon and Socrates. In this dialogue, Plato sets out to explain how humankind can function without any awareness of his realm of forms. I think we should start by explaining this theory put forward by Plato. In the theory of forms, Plato argues that the physical world around us is in fact not what it seems to be. It isn't perfect and ever changing. He proposed that true knowledge could only be obtained by looking beyond the physical, which he deemed to be only imitation, and into the realm of forms. I think the difference between the physical realm and the intelligible realm of forms can better be understood through an example. Take a strong man, for instance. We recognize this man as strong, seemingly because of his attributes. But beyond these physical attributes, it is also because of the perception of strength we hold in our minds. While over time, this man may lose his strength, leading us to then see him as a weak man, the form of strength in our mind remains constant and unchanged. When the next person comes along with similar attributes, they will also be recognized as strong since the concept or form of strength exists in our mind outside of the physical world. Plato believed that the only way to reveal this realm of forms was through an extensive education. Now that we have some understanding of this theory of forms, let us move on to what this video is about, the allegory of the cave. In this cave exist prisoners who have been there since birth. These prisoners are bound to the point of not even being able to turn their heads. They can only see what is in front of them, and the only thing in front of them is a stone wall. Behind them is a fire with a walkway between the wall and the fire, where people walk carrying objects over their heads. Shadows are cast onto the wall and echoes can be heard, but since these prisoners have never seen the objects being carried and only the shadows of them, they mistake these shadows as reality. They also attribute the echoes and the cave to the shadows themselves. For example, when they see the shadow of a pot, they do not characterize it as a shadow since they have no knowledge of anything but what they have seen in front of them. Eventually, one of the prisoners is able to understand the nature of the world around him and could predict what shadow would come next on the wall, and because he could do this, he would then receive praise from the others. Now, if one of the prisoners were to be set free and shown an actual pot, they would not recognize this as a pot since a pot to them is the shadow that was cast on the wall. In this case, the illusion seems more real than the pot itself and the prisoner would likely turn back to the wall since the shadows to him are closer to his perception of reality. What if the prisoner was forced out of the cave into the blinding light of the sun? Well, of course, the prisoner would be angry and rather distressed not accepting the new reality. Think of the matrix in this scenario. If exposed long enough, he would begin to understand that what he thought to be reality was in fact incorrect and that the blinding light that he had so long turned away from was the truth. After accepting this new reality, the freed prisoner sets out for the cave from which he came in order to free his fellow prisoners and show them the truth. After entering back into the cave, the prisoner finds it difficult to adjust to the darkness. The other prisoners pick up on this odd behavior and find it suspicious since the darkness is still the only reality they know. So this time, instead of the praise that his knowledge had formally gained him, it was contempt. They not only found him stupid but also threatened to kill him if they set him free. Plato meant for the freed prisoner to represent the philosopher looking past his perceived reality in search of the truth, this regardless of any subjective restraints that may be present in his own mind. To Plato, a philosopher should seek to look past these and push forward toward objective truth through philosophic reasoning, and recognizing his theory of forms is what he believed to allow a person to achieve this. How many of us, when arguing for a certain belief or reality, consider that we may be the ones steeped in the darkness of the cave, fighting tooth and nail to hold on to what we believe to be true. Without the complete knowledge of the world around us, how can we ever be sure that it is not us who are living in ignorance of a higher level of reality? Well, the goal of a philosopher should always be to seek a better understanding of the world around them and in this pursuit, keeping open arms for new realities that may present themselves. There is no perfect knowledge as far as we can prove with empirical evidence. So I think for the time being, the best that we can hope for is to use reason in order to progress as far as we can towards it. We should not only aim to question those who hold opposing thoughts, but also to question our own beliefs. After all, this is the only way we're able to move forward in our quest for knowledge, because those who think they know everything will learn nothing. This concept that the reality you think to be the only truth could in fact be completely false is not something most look on fondly, but it is in the continual search for truth that gives life its excitement. Imagine if you lived in a world where everything was always the same. You likely wouldn't be there long for the monotony would kill you. If reason and evidence point toward a new reality, embrace it, but always question it. Another noteworthy question that presents itself when given the allegory of the cave is this. When is it better to leave someone in their false reality instead of presenting them with what you believe to be the truth and consequently causing a possible existential crisis? To be completely honest, I'm not sure of the answer, and I don't think myself or anyone else for that matter would be able to offer an objective answer to this question. Do we sacrifice the truth for the next generation in order to preserve the happiness of the current one? Would the well-being of the human race be enhanced from learning this new truth? These and many other questions must be considered when coming to a conclusion in this matter. I hope this video has stimulated as much contemplation for you as it has for me. If you enjoyed the content, think about subscribing to the channel. Thank you for staying to the end of the video and for talking philosophy with me. Until next time.