Get Out of the Cave! Public Education and Shaping Reality: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave!

“black concrete road surrounded by brown rocks” by Jake Blucker on Unsplash

“…compare our nature in respect of education and its lack to such an experience as this” (Socrates, Republic, 514a-520a) (Translation by Thomas Sheehan, https://web.stanford.edu/class/ihum40/cave.pdf).

When considering the prospect of public education in modernity, Allegory of the Cave or Plato’s Cave becomes a worthwhile analogy to explore the current educational environment. The questions that need to be asked are not relevant to data or test scores, but rather what and how are we teaching the next generation of learners?

“people on library” by Charl van Rooy on Unsplash

In Greek philosopher Plato’s famous essay Republic (514a-520a), Plato depicts a dialogue known as the Plato’s Cave. The dialogue is between Glaucon (Plato’s brother) and Socrates (Plato’s mentor). In the allegory, Plato has Socrates describe a story about a group of people, shackled by their legs and neck, to the wall of a cave. The inhabitants of the cave have been there since childhood. The only view they have is of the blank wall in front of them, unable to turn their heads. There is a half wall behind them, behind which burns a fire. Since the cave dwellers are unable to turn…