“method”or even merely to imitate Socrates’example, it is equally important to pay attention not
only to the logic of his argument, but how he is“greedy”for images and uses them to bring
together a“mixture”of logic and storytelling.
Plato’s Cave
The fact that Socrates uses the word“image”(eikonos) to describe his imaginary ship is significant
as it is used again in his most famous analogy of all: the allegory of the cave. This allegory
immediately follows one of the most difficult passages in theRepublic(509e–11e): Socrates’first
attempt to further explain his theory of the forms (eide) in what is known as“the divided line.”The
complexity of this passage, perhaps significantly, often requires a diagram which is helpfully
provided by most translators.^37 Socrates begins by asking Glaucon to see (noeson) a line between
what is visible and what is intelligible. Below the line is the visible, which is further subdivided into
those things which are“images”(eikones), such as shadows, or reflections in water, at the very
bottom; above them, there are the things which are around us (or known to the senses), such as
animals, and artifacts. Above the line, the intelligible is further divided into geometrical“objects”;
and above those, finally are the forms or ideas (eide). Socrates then develops a seemingly
straightforward correspondence of the“affections”of our soul to each segment: intellection
(noesis) to ideas (eide); thought (dianoia) to geometry; proofs (pistis) to the physical world; and,
imagination or image-making (eikasia)to“images.”Although no student ever seems to easily
comprehend this passage (and Cowboy Plato insisted it was impenetrable), Glaucon readily agrees
that he understands the arrangement of“the forms.”
At this point, Socrates introduces his famous image of the cave (514a–18d) which focuses the
conversation of the dialog obviously on imagination or image-making (eikasia). First, Glaucon is
asked to“see”(ide) human beings living since childhood in a long underground cave with light
across the entire width. The necks and legs of each person are bound in such a way that they can
only see the cave wall in front of them. Far above and behind them is a fire with a road in between
and a partition separating the chained people from other human beings who project shadows of all
sorts of artifacts on the cave wall in front of them. Because the chained people have never
experienced anything different, they think that truth is nothing more than naming the shadows
they see.
Next, Socrates asks us to consider what would happen if one of them is released and compelled to
look back toward the firelight; such a man would be in pain and unable to see because of the
brightness of the light; if he were asked to name the artifacts as they went by he would be at a loss
and would think the shadows he saw before were more real and true. If this man were dragged out of
the cave into the light of the real sun, he would become even more distressed and dazzled; even-
tually, however, his eyes would adjust and he would see shadows of real things and the human
beings living outside the cave; then he would see the things and people themselves. Finally, he
would be able to see the light of the heavens: stars, moon, and the sun. He would finally understand
that the sun is the source of everything.
He would recognize that the honors given in his previous life to those who were best at making
out the shadows lived only in opinions of things. Imagine again, Socrates says, the same man
returning to the cave: he wouldhaveto adjust once again to the darkness and the people would laugh
at him, if he tried to tell them that they saw only shadows of artificial things. And, the chained men
would kill him or anyone who tried to release them and lead them to the light.
Socrates then explains this image as the soul’s journey of a philosophic education from being
chained and seeing only shadows to the knowledge of light of the sun (517a–18b). At first glance,
the story of the cave“repeats”the sections of the divided line. Those things in the cave are likened
to the bottom half of the visible world: the shadows are“images”(the lowest section of the line) of
the sensible things or artifacts (second section of the line) which are manipulated by the puppet
16 Marlene K. Sokolon