The only thing the prisoners can see are the ‘poorly formed’ shadows cast by objects the people walking by are carrying. They hear only echoed sound that does not really come from the objects; but as far as they know, using the evidence of their senses, this is the only reality. This state of mind is called ‘eikasia’, this word comes from the word eikon which means an image or likeness. Plato uses this word eikasia to describe this state of mind, the lowest level of understanding. The prisoners in the cave see only ‘images of images’ yet they take these images as the correct interpretation without interrogating whether there is any greater reality or truth. Here Plato is referring to most of humanity without putting tags on their nationality or origin. However, Plato is also suggesting that the mob that killed Socrates had the same lack of philosophical logic as the prisoners in the story. It therefore follows that the mob that killed Socrates were eikasia. The Prisoners had gained their knowledge through their senses. Plato believed that there was a difference between knowledge gained through reason, and the knowledge gained through using the senses. He believed that knowledge gained through the senses was no more than opinion, because the senses can be mistaken; but knowledge gained through philosophical reasoning was certain. This allegory of the cave makes a contrast between the people who see only appearances, but mistake them for the truth and those people who really do see the truth. From this Plato could also be suggesting that the Greeks gained their knowledge through only what they’ve seen and heard whereas Socrates had actually been enlightened and had gained a better understanding.
Eventually, in the cave one of the prisoners is set free. He can stand up, move about and is too stunned by the real light to see anything properly. Here Plato is showing that the first response to philosophical questioning is puzzlement. The prisoner then becomes more accustomed to the light and begins to realise that what he thought was reality wasn’t true. The prisoner can’t bare to look at the light and wants to return to staring at the cave where he was happy with his old interpretation of the world. Yet he is forced outside and the journey is described as ‘steep and rough’. Here Plato is using the prisoner’s journey to explain to humanity that interpretation of life itself is a difficult journey. Once the prisoner began to adjust to the light he begins to see different shapes and reflections. The more his eyes got used to the world outside the cave, the more he was able to perceive it. Here Plato is again referring to life. He is suggesting that the more one learns the more one can understand. Here Plato could be suggesting that if people listened to Socrates they would have learnt and understood more. Finally the prisoner becomes used to the light and can see the real world, and draw conclusions from it which are true. Here Plato could be suggesting that once you have listened and understood Socrates’s teachings, one can develop his theories further and teach more ideas. Plato could be referring to himself saying that he, being a student of Socrates, had learnt from Socrates and had developed Socrates’s ideas further.
This released prisoner then feels sorry for the others who are still in the cave, and so he decides to return. He finds it hard to adjust to the darkness and his ability to see the shadows on the wall is worse than before his release. This could imply that once you have had the privilege of understanding and further knowledge you cannot go back to the state if eikasia and cannot go back to being satisfied in living in a one dimensional world. The prisoners still chained up laugh at him, and say that the journey up into the light is a waste of time, because it has spoiled his ability to see clearly. They do not want to try find the light for themselves and if someone ever tries to come set them free, they will kill him. Plato is showing exactly what the Greeks did, for when Socrates tried to ‘set them free’ from their fixed beliefs they killed him and said that he was ‘corrupting the minds of the youth’.
In summery Plato is using symbolism to show the Greeks that killing of Socrates was wrong and he wants them to learn from this story and realise the errors of their ways. He doesn’t want the people to fear knowledge but to embrace it.
