The “Allegory of the Cave” from Book VII of Plato’s Republic, is a metaphor that explains the importance of education.  Within the story, the men are bound by chains within a cave that has a fire lit behind them that projects shadows, for which the men mistake for real entities.  The cave itself is a representation of a cage, wherein the darkness and the chains that bind men inside of the cave are figurative for an all-encompassing ignorance that prevents mankind from following the path of true philosophy, which in itself is described as a “revolution of the soul” and can also be described as a path to achieve self-actualization.  With the dichotomy of light and dark, where light is knowledge and wisdom, and darkness is ignorance and folly, it could be seen that education is an essential aspect towards reaching one’s full potential as both an effective leader and as a successful human being.  It is not until one frees themselves from the binds of ignorance; that is, having the desire to learn, that they could understand the shadows for what they really are, and furthermore be able to understand both the real and the mysterious.

However, it must be noted that this enlightenment is not an instantaneous process to achieve success.  The knowledge gained from being able to see the fire compared to seeing only the shadows produced by them would surely contradict the knowledge that one believed that he had of the world around him. Knowledge isn’t a matter of suddenly giving the blind the sense sight.  It is the responsibility of knowledge to point a person in the right direction, as much as it is the responsibility for the person to reflect on contradictions of knowledge and use reason to divine the unknown.  With this said, it is also not enough for one to simply reflect, but it is necessary to apply and spread knowledge for the good of society in order to be considered a successful person.   If one possesses wisdom, but chooses not to act on their knowledge, the wisdom is useless.  Additionally, it is also the manner in which knowledge is used that determines a person’s success.  For example, a knowledgeable person who uses his or her knowledge for selfish purposes such as greed is sure to bring calamity to the state that they govern, whereas the people who use their knowledge for just purposes will build a well-governed society.

By Darryl Bethay