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and at the same time demonstrates the depth of his philosophic affiliations.
1. Plato’s Chains
1.1. The Allegory of the Cave
Plato’s Cave is home to several individuals, each chained to its walls by the legs and neck,
“compelled to hold their heads unmoved throughout life” (Republic, 515b). In front of them are
shadows on a wall, projected by firelight beyond their scope of vision. The captives have nothing
to do but to observe these images, and consequently they come to assume that they are
themselves reality. Given their experience, how could they believe anything else? One day,
however, a captive is released from bonds and removed. As he is pushed toward the cave's exit,
he complains of the brilliant light; and the closer to the external world he comes, the more acute
the pain. This is not an easy journey—and it is not carried out without the use of compulsion.
The freed captive would much prefer to return to the comfort of the cave, but is pressed on by his
escort. Finally, he exits the cave. He is bewildered at first by the bright light. Slowly, however,
he begins to make a series of life-altering observations. First, he discovers that the shadows on
the wall were mere projections. Then, as his eyes grow accustomed to the brilliance of the sun,
he takes in reflections in the water, objects on the earth's surface, the light of the stars and moon,
and finally the sun. It is at this moment that he comes to understand that the sun is responsible
for the seasons, the yearly cycle, and even everything he saw in the cave. Now that he knows
what he sees is truth, he realizes what he saw in the cave was something less.
Upon the discovery of these truths, the man outside the cave takes a moment to
reflect upon his former fellow captives. He feels sorry for them. He knows now that they have
mistaken mere shadows for reality. What would happen, Plato asks, when this individual returns
articulated Platonic reading of Rousseau that extends beyond the Emile to many of his substantial
works.
Convention