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Of Chains, Caves, and Slaves: Allegory and Illusion in Rousseau
Unformatted Document Text:  5 to the cave? As soon as he returns to his old friends and reports what he has seen, he is mocked, ridiculed, and scorned. They may think that his vision is skewed; they may try to kill him. 1.2. Three Interpretations of the Cave The Allegory of the Cave has been interpreted in at least three significant manners. These are the educational, epistemic/metaphysical, and political interpretations. While I will focus most extensively on the last of these, each sheds important light on Plato’s intentions. It must be further kept in mind that the interpretations cross each other’s boundaries and become important dimensions of one another. 1.2.1. The Educational Interpretation No one doubts the importance of education to Plato. Rousseau remarks that the Republic was “the most beautiful educational treatise ever written” (E, 40 [IV: 250]). This is apt when one considers the role of education in Kallipolis. Plato himself says that education is “the chief safeguard” against tyranny (Republic, 416b), that a proper education is the “one great thing” that will guide citizens in the absence of law (Republic, 423e), and that an education of approximately fifty years is necessary to become a ruler. This is why perhaps the educational interpretation of the Cave is the most intuitive. This reading is buttressed by his very introduction to the allegory: “Next, said I, compare our nature in respect of education and its lack to such an experience as this . . .” (Republic, 514a). On this account, the cave symbolizes the world of the ignorant, un- or mis- educated. R.G. Tanner persuasively builds a case that the allegory is consciously developed to illustrate the failings of Greek education. Dissatisfied with musical education, in particular, Plato attacks the standard practice of teaching of music by imitation. Such training fails to provide the students with any genuine insight into the music or appreciation of the Ideas that music represents. “Athenian education, viewed in Platonic terms, served only to feed children’s minds

Authors: Williams, David Lay.
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to the cave? As soon as he returns to his old friends and reports what he has seen, he is mocked,
ridiculed, and scorned. They may think that his vision is skewed; they may try to kill him.
1.2. Three Interpretations of the Cave
The Allegory of the Cave has been interpreted in at least three significant manners. These are the
educational, epistemic/metaphysical, and political interpretations. While I will focus most
extensively on the last of these, each sheds important light on Plato’s intentions. It must be
further kept in mind that the interpretations cross each other’s boundaries and become important
dimensions of one another.
1.2.1. The Educational Interpretation
No one doubts the importance of education to Plato. Rousseau remarks that the Republic was
“the most beautiful educational treatise ever written” (E, 40 [IV: 250]). This is apt when one
considers the role of education in Kallipolis. Plato himself says that education is “the chief
safeguard” against tyranny (Republic, 416b), that a proper education is the “one great thing” that
will guide citizens in the absence of law (Republic, 423e), and that an education of approximately
fifty years is necessary to become a ruler. This is why perhaps the educational interpretation of
the Cave is the most intuitive. This reading is buttressed by his very introduction to the allegory:
“Next, said I, compare our nature in respect of education and its lack to such an experience as this
. . .” (Republic, 514a).
On this account, the cave symbolizes the world of the ignorant, un- or mis-
educated. R.G. Tanner persuasively builds a case that the allegory is consciously developed to
illustrate the failings of Greek education. Dissatisfied with musical education, in particular, Plato
attacks the standard practice of teaching of music by imitation. Such training fails to provide the
students with any genuine insight into the music or appreciation of the Ideas that music
represents. “Athenian education, viewed in Platonic terms, served only to feed children’s minds


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