- Imagine a cave, in which there are three prisoners. The prisoners are tied to some rocks, their arms and legs are bound and their head is tied so that they cannot look at anything but the stonewall in front of them.
- These prisoners have been here since birth and have never been outside of the cave.
- Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between them is a raised walkway.
- People outside the cave walk along this walkway casting shadows on the wall for the prisoners to see.
Note
In Plato’s theory, the cave represents people who believe that knowledge comes from what we see and hear in the world. Empirical evidence. The cave shows that believers of empirical knowledge are trapped in a “cave” of misunderstanding.