The myth of Plato's cave. Hidden and general meaning. Test work the myth of the cave Who interpreted the myth of Plato's cave

Platonovskiy myth of the cave

First, we will give the text of the myth about the cave itself, and then we will give its interpretation based on the book by J. Reale and D. Antiseri “Western Philosophy from the Beginnings to the Present Day” (vol. 1).

The myth of the cave

State: Book Seven

“After that, you can liken our human nature in relation to enlightenment and ignorance to this state ... Imagine that people are, as it were, in an underground dwelling like a cave, where a wide gap stretches along its entire length. From an early age, they have fetters on their feet and around their necks, so that people cannot move from their place, and they see only what is right in front of their eyes, because they cannot turn their heads because of these fetters. People are turned with their backs to the light emanating from the fire, which burns far above, and between the fire and the prisoners there is an upper road, fenced, imagine, by a low wall, like the screen behind which conjurers place their assistants when they show dolls over the screen.

That's what I imagine, - said Glavkon.

So imagine that behind this wall other people are carrying various utensils, holding it so that it is visible over the wall; they carry statues and all kinds of images of living beings made of stone and wood. At the same time, as usual, some of the carriers are talking, others are silent ...

… First of all, do you think that being in such a position, people see anything, whether their own or someone else’s, except for the shadows cast by fire on the cave wall located in front of them?...

If the prisoners were able to talk to each other, do you think they would not think that they give names to exactly what they see? ...

Such prisoners would completely and completely take for truth the shadows of objects carried by ...

... When the shackles are removed from one of them, they force him to suddenly stand up, turn his neck, walk, look up - towards the light, it will be painful for him to do all this, he will not be able to look at those things with a bright radiance, a shadow from which he had seen before...

Here a habit is needed, since he has to see everything that is up there. You need to start with the easiest: first look at the shadows, then at the reflections in the water of people and various objects, and only then - at the things themselves; At the same time, it would be easier for him to see what is in the sky, and the sky itself, not during the day, but at night, that is, to look at the starlight and the Moon, and not at the Sun and its light ...

... Remembering his former dwelling, the wisdom there and his companions in prison, will he not consider it bliss to change his position and will he not pity his friends?...

And if they paid any honors and praise to each other there, rewarding the one who distinguished himself with the sharpest eyesight when observing objects flowing past and remembered better than others what usually appeared first, and what after, and what at the same time, and on this basis predicted what is to come, do you think that one who has already freed himself from the bonds would long for all this, and would he envy those who are revered by the prisoners and who are influential among them? ...

Consider this also: if such a man were to go down there again and sit down in the same place, would not his eyes be covered with darkness at such a sudden departure from the Sun?...

And if he again had to compete with these eternal prisoners, deciphering the meaning of those shadows? Until his eyesight was dulled and his eyes adjusted—and that would take a long time—wouldn't he seem ridiculous? They would say about him that he returned from his ascent with damaged eyesight, which means that it is not even worth trying to go up. And who would begin to free the prisoners in order to lead them up, would they not kill him if he fell into their hands? ...

… The ascent and contemplation of things that are above is the ascent of the soul into the realm of the intelligible… So this is what I see: in what is knowable, the idea of the good is the limit, and it is hardly distinguishable, but one has only to distinguish it there , as the conclusion suggests itself from here that it is she who is the cause of everything right and beautiful. In the realm of the visible, she gives birth to light and its ruler, and in the realm of the intelligible, she herself is the mistress, on whom truth and understanding depend, and whoever wants to act consciously both in private and in public life must look at her.

I agree with you, as far as it is available to me.

Then be with me at the same time in this: do not be surprised that those who have come to all this do not want to engage in human affairs; their souls always strive upward.

… And is it really surprising, in your opinion, if someone, having gone from divine contemplation to human squalor, looks unimportant and seems extremely ridiculous? The sight is not yet accustomed, and meanwhile, before he is accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is forced to speak in court or somewhere else and fight over the shadows of justice or the images that cast these shadows, so that one has to argue about them in the spirit how it is perceived by people who have never seen justice itself.

(Plato "The State". The myth of the cave (book 7; 514a - 517e) (given in abbreviation - www. philosophy. en/library/plato/01/0.html; see full text in: V.3; pp. 295-299)

Four Meanings of the Cave Myth

In the center of the "State" we find the famous myth of the cave. Little by little, this myth has become a symbol of metaphysics, epistemology and dialectics, as well as ethics and mysticism: a myth that expresses the whole of Plato. So what does this myth represent?

1. Firstly, this is an idea of the ontological gradation of being, of the types of reality - sensual and supersensible - and their subspecies: the shadows on the walls are the simple appearance of things; statues - things sensually perceived; a stone wall is a demarcation line separating two kinds of being; objects and people outside the cave are true being, leading to ideas; Well, the sun is the Idea of the Good.

2. Secondly, the myth symbolizes the stages of knowledge: the contemplation of shadows - imagination (eikasia), the vision of statues - (pistis), that is, beliefs from which we move on to understanding objects as such and to the image of the sun, first indirectly, then directly, these are phases of dialectics with different stages, the last of which is pure contemplation, intuitive intellect.

3. Thirdly, we also have aspects: ascetic, mystical and theological. Life under the sign of feelings and only feelings is a cave life. Living in the spirit is living in the pure light of truth. The path of ascent from the sensuous to the intelligible is "liberation from shackles," that is, transformation; finally, the highest knowledge of the sun-Good is the contemplation of the divine.

4. However, this myth also has a political aspect with a truly Platonic sophistication. Plato speaks of the possible return to the cave of one who had once been freed. To return with the aim of freeing and leading to freedom those with whom I spent long years slavery. Undoubtedly, this is the return of the philosopher-politician, whose only desire is the contemplation of truth, overcoming himself in search of others who need his help and salvation. Let us recall that, according to Plato, a real politician is not one who loves power and everything connected with it, but who, using power, is busy only with the embodiment of the Good. The question arises: what awaits the one who descended again from the realm of light into the realm of shadows? He won't see anything until he gets used to the darkness. He will not be understood until he adapts to old habits. Bringing resentment with him, he risks incurring the wrath of people who prefer blissful ignorance. He risks even more - to be killed, like Socrates.

But a person who knows the Good can and should avoid this risk, only a fulfilled duty will give meaning to his existence ...

(J. Reale and D. Antiseri Western philosophy from its origins to the present day. I. Antiquity. - St. Petersburg, LLP TK "Petropolis", 1994. - pp. 129-130)

The myth of the cave.

The myth of the cave is a famous allegory used by Plato in his treatise "The State" to explain his doctrine of ideas.
The myth of the cave is deeply symbolic. What do the images symbolize?
myth? The interpretation is given by Plato himself. The cave is a symbol of our world; fire
sun symbol; people looking at the shadows symbolize people who are guided in life by one sight; shadows are a symbol of the being that surrounds us;
things outside the cave are symbols of ideas; the sun is a symbol of the idea of ideas (or the idea of the Good);
transitions from the state of chainedness to fire and up to the sun are symbols of transfiguration, changes in a person (in Greek, "paideia").

For Plato, the cave represents the sensual world in which people live. Like the prisoners of the cave, they believe that through the senses they know the true reality. However, this life is just an illusion. From the true world of ideas, only vague shadows reach them. A philosopher can gain a fuller understanding of the world of ideas by constantly asking himself questions and looking for answers to them. However, it is pointless to try to share the received knowledge with the crowd, which is not able to break away from the illusions of everyday perception.Outlining this parable, Plato demonstrates to his listeners that knowledge requires a certain amount of work - unceasing efforts aimed at studying and understanding certain subjects. Therefore, only philosophers can rule his ideal city - those people who have penetrated the essence of ideas, and especially the ideas of the good.

State:
this is a large man. In the state and in the soul of every person there are the same 3 principles: reason, rage and lust. The natural state is when the head - the mind - leads, and rage in the service of the mind helps to tame unreasonable desires.
it is a single whole within which individuals, unequal in nature, perform their various functions.
the ideal state is a closed self-sufficient entity that is not able to communicate with other states because of the rejection of the development of human civilization.
trade, industry, finance are limited - for this is all that corrupts;
The purpose of the state: the unity, the virtue of the whole state as a whole, and not of a separate class or individual.
Political domination: occurs according to the 4 virtues of an ideal state:
1. reasonableness/wisdom: reasonable decisions are made in the state, everything is controlled by reason - philosophers-guardians of laws. Similarly, the wise man is guided by reason;
2. prudence: unity of views among rulers and subjects. Order, harmony, consistency - the natural ratio of the best and the worst. For example: a state that has conquered itself - one in which the majority of the worst submit to a minority of the best;
3. Courage: the ability of the guardians of the law / rulers to constantly keep the thought of danger instilled in education;
4 .justice:it is wisdom + prudence + courage combined together. This is a state in which 3 classes, different in nature, each do their own work. Justice is the realization of the idea of unity.
Equity Ingredients:
division of labor according to natural inclinations. It is from here that the division into 3 classes comes: guardians of the laws (rulers - "reason" and warriors - "fury") and the third estate - farmers / artisans / merchants - "lust";
everyone fulfills only their destiny;
consistency, harmony of these 3 estates.
Injustice: this is the interference of the 3 estates in each other's affairs. A quarrel of 3 beginnings. Then "lust" begins to rule.
Natural division into classes:
rulers - "reason": ensure the correct execution of the idea of the ideal state of Plato. They come from guardians of the law over 50 years old;
warriors - "fury": protect the state from enemies from the outside and from the middle. They are guardians of the law;
farmers / artisans / merchants - "lust": the economic basis of the state, everyone is fed, no political rights.

Education and selection of guardians of the law

The future guard must be convinced that what is useful for the common cause is also useful for him;
3-time check system: whoever at 3 ages - children's, youth and adult proves that he can be a good guard for himself - that is a courageous person. What does it mean to be a good guardian of oneself: did not allow himself to be persuaded in the previous paragraph, neither because of pleasure, nor because of fear, nor because of suffering.
Only the guardians of the law have political power. Therefore, the problem of maintaining the unity of the state is primarily a problem of maintaining internal unity among the guardian class. Therefore, Plato destroyed their family - otherwise it would be the beginning of individualism, separation of interests. And so the life of the guards - sissitia (similar to Spartan), common women and children, lack of private property, economic interest - all this is to remind the guards of the idea of their unity. From the 3rd estate, only prudence is required to maintain unity.
Of course, the guards should not have any material wealth, be engaged in trade, agriculture - in this way they would violate justice and would certainly oppress the people.
In the process of exercising power, there is no institutional means to control the rulers, the only thing that binds them is their inner conviction of the need to maintain a law that is reasonable.

Upbringing:
bringing children to such a way of thinking, which is determined by law as correct, and the oldest and most respected people were convinced by experience of its actual correctness;
it is rightly directed pleasures and pains;
educate: law, unwritten custom (private sphere), art (teaches through assimilation of people's behavior in different situations). The purpose of law, unwritten custom, art is to force people to voluntarily perform actions determined by the rulers as fair.

Four Meanings of the Cave Myth

1. this is an idea of the ontological gradation of being, of the types of reality - sensual and supersensible - and their subspecies: the shadows on the walls are the simple appearance of things; statues - things sensually perceived; a stone wall is a demarcation line separating two kinds of being; objects and people outside the cave - this is true being, leading to ideas; Well, the sun is the Idea of the Good.

2. myth symbolizes the stages of knowledge: contemplation of shadows - imagination (eikasia), vision of statues - (pistis), i.e. the beliefs from which we pass to the understanding of objects as such and to the image of the sun, first indirectly, then directly, are phases of dialectics with various stages, the last of which is pure contemplation, intuitive intellect.

3. we also have aspects: ascetic, mystical and theological. Life under the sign of feelings and only feelings is a cave life. Living in the spirit is living in the pure light of truth. The path of ascent from the sensuous to the intelligible is "liberation from shackles", i.e. transformation; finally, the highest knowledge of the sun-Good is the contemplation of the divine.

4. This myth also has a political aspect with a truly Platonic sophistication. Plato speaks of the possible return to the cave of one who had once been freed. To return with the aim of freeing and leading to freedom those with whom he spent many years of slavery.

Analysis of the ideal state model.

the main conditions for the existence of an ideal state are: strict division into classes and spheres of labor; elimination from life of the source of moral corruption - the opposite poles of wealth and poverty; the strictest obedience, directly arising from the basic prowess of all members of the state - a restraining measure. The form of government in an ideal state is the aristocracy, in the best sense of the word - the power of the most worthy, wise.
Plato drew the ideal of a just state, which is led by gifted and well-prepared, highly moral people who are really capable of wisely managing the state. Plato considered Justice to be the basic principle of an ideal state. Guided by justice, the state solves the most important tasks: protecting people, providing them with material benefits, creating conditions for their creative activity and spiritual development. Plato divided people into three groups: the first includes those who have a reasonable beginning, a developed sense of justice, and a desire for law. He called them the Wise Men. They should be rulers in an ideal state. Those who are distinguished by courage, courage, a sense of duty, Plato attributed to the second group - warriors and "Guardians", who are called upon to take care of the security of the state. And, finally, there are people called to do physical labor - these are peasants and artisans. They produce the necessary material goods.
In Plato's ideas, the individual must be completely subordinate to the universal: the state does not exist for the sake of man, but man lives for the sake of the state.
According to Plato, philosophers and warriors should not have any private property. Warriors “should go to common canteens and live together, as in a camp”, they “should not touch gold and silver. They should not even enter a house where there is gold, put on gold and silver things, drink from a gold or silver cup ... If everyone dragged into the house everything that he could acquire separately from others, among other things, and his own wife, and his own children, who, as belonging to him personally, would arouse in him personal joys and sorrows. Property within reasonable limits is permissible only for peasants and artisans, since it does not prevent them from working. But it is contraindicated for those who are devoted to lofty reflections and stand guard over the state. This society does not have a family burdened with everyday life. Melodies that soften the soul should not sound in this society. There is room here only for vigorous, militant music.

The principle of dividing people into classes.

The state, according to Plato, like the soul, has a tripartite structure. In accordance with the main functions (management, protection and production of material goods), the population is divided into three classes: farmers-artisans, guards and rulers (sages-philosophers)
Giving a moral assessment to each of the three estates, Plato differentially endows them with certain moral qualities. For rulers-philosophers, the most valuable quality is wisdom, for guardians-warriors - courage, for demiurges - moderation, restraining power. The state itself and the form of government are endowed with the highest moral virtue - justice.
The inviolability of class division is the basis of the Platonic just state.
A person should be engaged in exactly the business that he is able to solve by virtue of his inclinations. In addition, everyone should, minding his own business, try not to interfere in the affairs of others. Based on this principle, the whole society is divided into three estates: philosophers, guardians and common people. It should be noted that the transition from one class to another, brings with it great harm to the state. A person needs to be truly true to his cause. The division of labor stratifies society into layers, but with all this it is also the basic principle of structuring the state.

Training and education of guards.

By denying the individual family to rulers and guardians, Plato hopes to turn them all into members of a single ruling family. The solution of the issues of marriage, life, property, and the whole life of the people of the third estate, he leaves to the authorities of the ideal state. In addition, in the project of a perfect system, there is no class of slaves.
Guards are required to protect the state. They will be "dogs" in the "herd". The importance of their work and the difficulty of its execution distinguish the guards into a separate, higher estate. Guardians must be trained in gymnastics and mathematics. Music and poetry for their education should be carefully selected: only those verses and sounds that instill courage and fearlessness are allowed in the ideal state, and in no case those that catch up with melancholy or remind of death. Guardians must live separately from everyone and not have any property. They even have wives and children in common. Plato's upbringing and education apply to children from among the guards-warriors. According to natural data, they are divided into gold, silver and iron. The children from the environment of "philosophers and guardians" belong to the gold and silver ones. Plato opposes the fact that the children of the third estate (i.e. "iron" parents) receive a high education and upbringing and strive for a better life, moving from one estate to another. Wealth should not be in the hands of the third estate, since wealth leads to laziness and luxury, but poverty, which leads to servility, should not be its lot. Everything needs "measure". The third estate - farmers, artisans and merchants - Plato does not sympathize, his sympathies are clearly on the side of philosophers and warriors. The third estate is endowed with only one virtue - enlightened restraint. Almost nothing is said about slaves in the "State". The philosopher opposed the private property of soldiers (guards) for movable and immovable property, slaves. Their children, wives and all property should be under the jurisdiction of the state. Plato believes that private property, gold, silver, money will tear the guards from their main duty - to protect cities from enemies, since they will have to focus all their attention on multiplying personal wealth.
The problem of wealth and poverty.

in order not to create prerequisites for unrest in society, Plato advocates moderation and average prosperity and condemns both excessive wealth and extreme poverty
etc.................

HEY YA;)
FIRST, A PAIR OF VIDEOS ARE INTERESTING ENOUGH ... AND THEN ALREADY SMART THOUGHTS ...

William Blake. "Platonic Cave" (1793).

The myth of the cave is a famous allegory used by Plato in his treatise "The State" to explain his doctrine of ideas. It is considered the cornerstone of Platonism and objective idealism in general. It is stated in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and the Platonic brother Glavkon:

You can liken our human nature in terms of enlightenment and ignorance to this state ... look at it: after all, people are, as it were, in an underground dwelling like a cave, where a wide gap stretches along its entire length. From an early age, they have fetters on their feet and around their necks, so that people cannot move from their place, and they see only what is right in front of their eyes, because they cannot turn their heads because of these fetters. The people are turned with their backs to the light emanating from the fire, which burns far above, and between the fire and the prisoners there is an upper road, fenced off - look - with a low wall like the screen behind which conjurers place their assistants when they show dolls over the screen.

- That's what I imagine.

- So imagine that behind this wall other people carry various utensils, holding it so that it is visible over the wall; they carry statues and all kinds of images of living beings made of stone and wood. At the same time, as usual, some of the carriers are talking, others are silent.

- Strange you draw an image and strange prisoners!

- like us. First of all, do you think that, being in such a position, people see anything, whether their own or someone else's, except for the shadows cast by fire on the cave wall located in front of them?

“How can they see anything else, since they have to keep their heads still all their lives?”

- And the objects that are carried there, behind the wall; Doesn't the same thing happen to them?

- That is?

“If the prisoners were able to talk to each other, do you think they would not think that they give names to exactly what they see?

- Certainly so.

Man and his shadow.

When the fetters are removed from one of them, they force him to suddenly stand up, turn his neck, walk, look up - towards the light, it will be painful for him to do all this, he will not be able to look at those things with a bright radiance, the shadow of which he has seen before. And what do you think he will say when they begin to tell him that he used to see trifles, and now, having approached being and turned to something more authentic, he could acquire a correct view? And even if they point to this or that thing flashing in front of him and ask a question what it is, and in addition they will force him to answer! Don't you think that this will make him extremely difficult and he will think that there is much more truth in what he saw before than in what is being shown to him now?

Of course he would think so.

“And if you force him to look directly into the very light, won’t his eyes hurt, and won’t he run back to what he is able to see, believing that this is really more reliable than the things that are shown to him?

- Yes it is.

In presenting this parable, Plato demonstrates to his listeners that knowledge requires famous work- continuous efforts aimed at the study and understanding of certain subjects. Therefore, only philosophers can rule his ideal city - those people who have penetrated the essence of ideas, and especially the ideas of the good.

A comparison of the allegory with other Platonic dialogues, in particular with the Phaedo, allows us to conclude that this is not just a parable, but the heart of the Platonic mythology. In the Phaedo, Plato, through the mouth of Socrates, stigmatizes the sensual world as a prison of the soul. The only true reality for him is the world of eternal ideas, to the comprehension of which the soul can approach through philosophy.
[edit] Plato on measurements

Plato's discussion - Lobsang Rampa in his book "Chapters of Life" said that the discussion presented below is about dimensions. As a person who feels the nature of only 2 dimensions, he got acquainted with the nature of the third dimension

Look! Human beings live in underground caves; they have been there since childhood, and their legs and necks are chained - the chains are arranged so that people cannot turn their heads. At a distance above and behind them is the light of a brightly burning fire, and from the place where the prisoners are, a road leads steeply to the fire; and if you look closely, you can see a low wall built along the road, like a screen behind which those who control the puppets hide. Imagine a person walking along this wall and carrying the vessels that are visible above the wall; figures of people and animals made of wood, stone and other materials are also visible; in some scenes the characters are talking, in others they are silent.

It's a strange image, he said, and strange prisoners.

As are we, I replied. - And they see only their own shadows or each other's shadows, which the fire casts on the opposite wall of the cave.

That's right, he said; - how can they see anything but their shadows if they were never allowed to turn their heads?

And they see only the shadows of the objects that the person is carrying along the wall.

Yes, he said.

And if they could talk to each other, they would think they were talking about things that were actually happening in front of them.

Quite right.

And suppose that there is an echo in the prison that bounces off the opposite wall, and you can be sure that they will imagine that they hear the voice of shadows passing by.

Without a doubt, he replied.

And there is no doubt, I said, that for them nothing but the shadows of objects appears true.

Definitely.

Let's look again and find out how they understood everything and were cured of their stupidity. At first, when one of them was released and had to suddenly get up and turn his head, walk and look at the light, he experienced a sharp pain, and the bright light blinded him, and he was not able to see real objects, the shadows of which he usually saw in its usual position. And imagine someone telling him that everything he saw before is an illusion, that from now on he has come to real being, and the way he looks is more correct, and he sees more real things - how will be his answer? One can further imagine that his instructor is pointing at objects that are passing by and asking him to name them - wouldn't he have difficulty? Does he not imagine that the shadows he has seen all his life are more real than the objects he has been shown?

Yes, much more real.

And if he is forced to look into the light, will his eyes not hurt so much that he will immediately turn away to take refuge in an object that he can look at painlessly and which looks clearer to him than the one he has just been shown?

Right, he said.

Let us again imagine that he was dragged against his will up a steep and uneven staircase and forcibly placed under the direct rays of the sun. Don't you think that he will be hurt and his eyes will be irritated, the light that enters his eyes will simply blind him, and he will not be able to see any of the real things that he was told to be true?

Not all at once, he said.

He will ask you to let him get used to the illumination of the upper world. And the first thing he will see best is the shadows, the next is the reflections of people and other objects on the water, and only then the objects themselves; then he will be able to go out under the light of the moon and stars, and he will see the sky and stars better at night than the sun and sunlight during the day.

Undoubtedly.

And finally, he will be able to see the sun, not just its reflection on the water, but he will see the sun itself in its present place, and not somewhere else, for example in a reflection, and he will be able to know its nature.

Undoubtedly.

And after that, he will be convinced that the Sun is the cause of the change of seasons and years in general, and that it is the good genius of everything that makes up the visible world. To a certain extent, it is also the cause of all those things that he saw before, and his comrades are used to seeing until now.

Clearly, - he said, - he will understand something at the beginning, and something - later.

And when he remembers his past existence, and the wisdom of the cave, and his fellow prisoners, don't you think that he will be happy with these changes and feel sorry for the others?

Of course it will.

And if they glorify those who notice faster than others, remember better than others and can tell which of the shadows passed before, which followed it, which ones moved nearby, do you think he will be interested in such glory and honor or envy towards its owner?

Wouldn't he say, as Homer said, "It's better to be a poor man and have a poor master" - and prefer to endure many more hardships, instead of thinking and living like them?

Yes, he said, yes, I think he would prefer the new suffering to the old life.

Imagine again, I said, that this man suddenly falls into his old position and no longer sees the sun. Wouldn't he think that his eyes were covered with darkness?

Quite right, he said.

And if a dispute arose and he had to compete in looking at the shadows with the prisoners who never left the cave, while his eyes were not yet accustomed to the cave and he did not see well (and the time it would take him to adjust to the in a cave can be quite lengthy) and wouldn't it look funny?

Without a doubt, he said.

Now you can add this allegory to the previous arguments,” I said. - The prison is the visible world, the light of fire is the sun, the rise of a person to the surface and his insight can be considered as the development of the soul in the intellectual world. And you will understand that those who have attained this blissful vision will not wish to return again to human fears; their souls are in a hurry to ascend to the higher worlds, in which it is so wonderful to live. And doesn’t it look strange a person who is distracted from divine contemplation and returned to worldly pursuits, because his behavior is unusual and funny to others?

This is not surprising, he replied.

Anyone who has common sense will remember that confusion before the eyes is of two kinds and occurs in two cases; or if you go away from the light, or if you go out into the light - this is true for spiritual vision as well as for bodily. And he who always remembers this, when he looks into the soul of one whose vision is confused and weak, will not laugh; he will first ask whether this soul has come from a brighter life and is unable to see, because it is not accustomed to darkness, or whether it has come from darkness to earthly light and is blinded by the bright light. And then he will determine who is happy in this state and in such conditions of life.

Explanations to the words of Plato We people living in the three-dimensional dimension are like a person chained in a cave, and people who have achieved enlightenment such as "Buddha" are like a person from a cave who goes out into the sunlight and can feel the fullness of the three-dimensional world.

Man (Chained from the Cave) with a two-dimensional representation has been enlightened to a three-dimensional representation.

A person with a three-dimensional conception (Buddha) has been enlightened to a four-dimensional conception.

For a caveman, past pleasures such as seeing a shadow first are of little pleasure because he has grasped a three-dimensional representation. He understands that this is nonsense and an illusion, and that true understanding lies in three-dimensional objects. So the Buddha refused all the benefits of a three-dimensional material life, as he visited the fourth dimension. “Prison is the visible world, the light of fire is the sun, the rise of a person to the surface and his insight can be seen as the development of the soul in the intellectual world.”

Foreign literature Bulletin Nizhny Novgorod University them. N.I. Lobachevsky, 2013, No. 6 (2), p. 292-295

ANTIQUE MYTH ABOUT THE CAVE IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN CULTURAL TRADITION

Volga State Social and Humanitarian Academy

po1uakoua_o^a_@ mail.ru

Received December 16, 2013

The article discusses the development of the Greek myth about the cave in the European cultural tradition, philosophy and literature, compares the interpretation of the image of the cave by Homer, Plato, F. Bacon, I.V. Goethe, M. Heidegger.

Keywords: parable about the cave, philosophy of knowledge, mythological symbolism, metaphors of knowledge.

One of the most striking and memorable images of ancient culture is the image of a cave from the seventh book of Plato's "State". “Imagine that people are, as it were, in an underground dwelling like a cave, where a wide gap stretches along its entire length. From an early age, they have fetters on their feet and around their necks, so that people cannot move from their place, and they see only what is right in front of their eyes, because they cannot turn their heads because of these fetters. People are turned with their backs to the light emanating from the fire, which burns far above, and between the fire and the prisoners there is an upper road, fenced, imagine, with a low wall like that screen behind which conjurers place their assistants when they show dolls over the screen ”(VII 514 a-b), - this is how Plato's Socrates begins to reveal his metaphor for the structure of human knowledge. The interpretation of the parable of the cave, traditional for European philosophy, presented, for example, by the philosophical commentary of A.F. Losev to the dialogue “The State”, which, by the way, is erected to the argumentation of Plato himself, introduces the “cave” imagery into the context of the idea fundamental for Platonism about the distinction between two main worlds: the intelligible world and the world of the visible, sensually perceived, associated with human existence. The cave is also a symbol of the dungeon in which the human soul resides, immersed only in the sphere of its own sensuality, not knowing the way of ascent to the good as the first principle and first cause of being and cognition. It is noteworthy that Plato uses a visual metaphor that is just as expressive as the image of the cave for the idea of good: “what will be good in

of the intelligible region in relation to the mind and the intelligible, that in the region of the visible will be the Sun in relation to vision and visually perceived things ”(VI 508 s) -. In the light-like philosophical metaphor of Plato, the cave turns out to be the absolute antipode of the "sun-like" truth (VI 509 a), but at the same time it represents the beginning of the movement of the human soul towards good.

To an even greater extent, the visual imagery of the parable of the cave attracted the attention of the German philosopher of the twentieth century. M. Heidegger, who subjected it to hermeneutic analysis in the work "Plato's Teachings on Truth". According to Heidegger, the essence of the parable is not to establish “a correspondence between the shadows in the cave and the everyday level of reality”, “between the sun and the highest idea”, but to reveal the transitions of human being from one level of reality, or being, to another level, when in the process of transition, it undergoes an “unfolding formation” - paydeye - the very essence of man. But it is precisely the change of the soul, connected with the transition to a new realm of being and "getting used" to it, that is full of rich phenomenological clarity, since the German philosopher sees in Plato's gradual ascent to higher reality a change in that "unhiddenness" - aletheia, truth - which in each new “the circle of a person’s residence” (in a cave, grasping only the shadows of objects, or in contemplating the light of a cave fire, in examining real objects in the light of day when leaving the cave, or in the determination of a painful vision of sunlight itself) contains its own “openness” -.

Thus, Heidegger's interpretation of the parable of the cave turns into a phenomenological analysis of the four modes of unhiddenness-truth. In the cave, the chained prisoners appear as “shadows of objects carried by” (VII 515 s). At the next stage, for a person freed from shackles, but locked in a cave, already visible things themselves should have become truth, but, according to Plato, he, blinded by light, will retain the old form of truth, therefore aXn9 £ ° tePa is more reliable ( VII 515 (e) - refers here so far only to shadows. However, the movement continues, and the third kind of the outer world unhidden in the expanse will be revealed in Plato's "most unhidden" - that aHpbeotata, when things themselves reveal their essence "in the radiance of the visible sun here." Only at this level does it become possible, according to Heidegger, to turn to "eidos" as the absolute self-revealing of a single entity in the light of being, that is, to the philosophical semantic transformation of the metaphorical dichotomy "sun - cave darkness", when the eidetic essence of a thing is seen only in the light of the auaboi í5ëаv (ideas of good, ideas of good), or Plato's Sun. This is the passage to the highest level of being, here the highest kind of the unhidden is revealed.

Plato's cave turned out to be an image of extraordinary creative power and, already within the framework of another historical era, contributed to the birth of a new symbolic philosophical system. The English philosopher F. Bacon actualizes the image of the cave in connection with the justification of a new system of reason and the need to purify knowledge from the power of the ghosts (idols) of the clan, cave, square, theater, “by which the spirit is possessed” and which prevent the “multiplication of sciences” . The idols of the cave "arise from each person's own spiritual or bodily nature, being the result of upbringing, lifestyle, and even all the accidents that can happen to an individual person. A magnificent expression of this type of idol is the image of a cave in Plato. Bacon reveals two new semantic nuances in the Platonic symbol: firstly, the soul, as an eternal prisoner of the human bodily cave, is in the grip of deceptive and false images, and only in rare cases breaks out into the light of day; secondly, the cave is the past, dictating to a person his perception of things, therefore human beings are often so ridiculous and fantastic.

ideas that obscure the discovery of the true nature of things.

17th century English philosopher twice (in the work "On the Dignity and Multiplication of the Sciences" and in the "New Organon") he emphasizes the semantics of the captivity of the mind by the idol of the cave, which is directly related to Platonic imagery. But Bacon also appeals in these fragments to the idea of Heraclitus, which, according to the European tradition, has the form: "people seek knowledge in small worlds, and not in the big, or general, world." This new meaning of the philosophical image of the cave was also considered by Heidegger in the analyzed work. It turns out that the cave is not only a dungeon for its prisoners, but it is also its own world for its inhabitants: “The fire in the cave<...>there is an "image" for the sun. The vaults of the cave depict the vault of heaven. Under this vault<...>people live. In this cave-like room they feel "at peace" and "at home" and find something to rely on here. Heidegger goes further than Plato and independently models the inner space of the cave as "open, but at the same time limited by vaults and from all sides, despite the exit, closed by the earth" . It is important for the German philosopher to draw a parallel between the sphere of the hidden, concealed, protected, disguised and truth as aletheia-unhiddenness, on the one hand, and the cave and the space of sunlight, on the other hand. Although the cave itself, hidden from the light of day, is a space pierced by cave fire. “The closedness of the cave, open within itself, with things surrounded and hidden by it, suggests at the same time a kind of outsideness, unhidden, stretching above in the light of day.”

It can be assumed that the new semantic turn in the interpretation of the symbol of the cave by these European philosophers is due to the inclusion in it of other than just Platonic motifs of cave imagery. To determine what could be the source of the semantic transformation of the philosophical cave, one should probably turn to the rich literary tradition of ancient Greece.

The first ancient Greek literary cave was the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus. In the IX song of the Odyssey, Homer tells how, on the path of their wanderings, Odysseus and his companions landed on the island of the Cyclopes - rich, "without plowing and without sowing plentifully" giving birth to "white barley and wheat", "grape

O.L. Polyakova

vines" to the earth (Od., IX, 109-111). Looking around this fertile land, Odysseus saw a “spacious”, “thickly dressed with laurel” cave, where the shepherd Polyphemus drove his numerous herds of “fat goats and sheep” for the night (Od., IX, 182-183, 217). Meeting with Polyphemus - "a man of giant growth", fierce and unsociable, not knowing fear of Zeus, since his family is much older than the Olympic gods (Od., IX, 187, 273-278), - turned into death for Odysseus's six comrades and himself promised dire disasters. Having cunningly defeated the monstrous cyclops, Odysseus left the "stinking" cave and continued his journey (Od., IX, 330). And new dangers lay in wait for Odysseus already in the person of the “terribly growling Scylla”, who was waiting for the sailors in a gloomy cave, “with a dark vent facing the darkness of Erebus to the west” (Od., XII, 82). Circe, instructing Odysseus in ways to get rid of danger, warns him that the only salvation from the chthonic cave Skilla is only flight, she cannot be defeated by heroic prowess (Od., XII, 116-120).

If we compare the motives of the cave myths of Homer and Plato, then some meaningful and structural correspondences can indeed be identified. For example, the archaic way of life of the cave dweller Polyphemus may well be considered as a structural parallel to Plato's motif of the low status of the sensory cognition abilities of cave prisoners. But Plato does not touch on many aspects of the image of the cave, the spatiality of the cave is one of them. In the XII book of the Odyssey, a cave is presented, completely filled with the body of the monster Skilla (Od., XII, 93); in book IX, Homer describes in detail the internal structure and contents of the cave of Polyphemus: stalls for cattle, divided according to the age of animals, storage for cheeses, a place for milking animals (Od., IX, 218-223), etc. Apparently, this special motif of the Odyssey in the European cultural tradition contributed to a more detailed interpretation of the Platonic parable of the cave.

Thus, we can talk about the existence of a stable image of the cave in the literary and philosophical tradition of antiquity, which is probably explained by the significant place that the cave motif occupies already in the mythological and poetic thinking of the Greeks, and later of the entire European culture. Evidence of this are numerous mythological

sky plots in which the cave acts as a dwelling or shelter for Pan, Endymion, the child Zeus, etc. . One of the options for the development of the mythological motif of the cave as a marker of the ancient cultural tradition is the scene with Euphorion in the second part of the tragedy by I.V. Goethe Faust. The action takes place in a cave that securely shelters the peace and happiness found by Faust with his beloved Elena with such difficulty. Inspired by love, Faust says: “And then we are at the goal: / I am all yours, and you are mine. / To this they gravitated / On the urge of being ", and Phorkiada-Mephisto-Phel conveys his impressions of what he saw:" ... here in the caves, these grottoes and pavilions / Shelter and shelter were granted, as in a love idyll, / Master with Mrs." Moreover, the very space of the cave, and everything that happens in it, is marked by the signs of the abiding golden age: Phorkiada, bypassing the cave, discovers in it a natural primevalness, untouched by a human hand: “This is a virgin jungle: / Hall after hall, passage after passage I opened , wandering"; Euphorion appears before Faust and Elena in a dress of flowers and fabrics and “holds the Golden Lyre, and, like a certain Phoebus-baby, / He ascends to the edge of the rapids”; the boy exudes laughter and joy, becoming even more like a sun-like deity.

But with regard to the action taking place in this cave, there are good reasons to attribute the whole scene to a new interpretation of the Platonic myth of knowledge. Euphorion, the child of Faust and Elena's love, strives to break out of the cave, the womb of parental love, into the open space of a life not programmed by the myth: "I want to jump, / In order to inadvertently / reach Heaven / With one swoop / That's what desire / Mine and passion" . Elena and Faust jointly try to persuade their son, who is striving for a new life, to remain sensible: “Having been barely born to life, / Having barely seen the Light, / You are rushing towards a deadly goal, / Where your head flies off.” But in vain, the dangerous path of knowledge is often fatal for the seeker of truth. Despite the tragic outcome, or even because of it, in this scene Goethe creates the highest poetic symbol of the European philosophy of knowledge, originating from Plato. The choir sings: “Fly up, poetry, / Up behind the constellations! / Soaring to the highest, / Flashing in the darkness, / You can still hear / Here on earth! .

Even such a few examples of the poetic and philosophical development of the ancient

The cave myth allows us to state its significant, and even largely determining, significance in European cultural consciousness, which, starting from antiquity and up to the present time, considers the universe from its underground, chthonic levels to the celestial spheres of the solar sky as the space of the cognizing human soul. This circumstance determines, apparently, the universal nature of this myth, various figurative variants of which can be seen in various areas of creative human activity - architecture, fine arts and, as we have seen, poetry, philosophy, etc. In addition, it is absolutely obvious that Greek antiquity was not the only source of cave imagery, and quite comparable with ancient, if not superior in importance in European culture, the symbolic system of images of the cave was represented by the biblical tradition (starting with the Book of Genesis and ending with the apocryphal gospels). ). This, for example, allowed the German philosopher and culturologist of the early twentieth century O. Spengler to generally connect

the development of the entire Eastern Christian culture with the pra-symbol of the cave. However, this issue requires special consideration.

Bibliography

1. Plato. State // Plato. Collected works. In 4 vols. T. 3. M.: Thought, 1994. S. 79-420.

2. Losev A.F. Notes. Pointers // Plato. Collected works. In 4 vols. T. 3. M.: Thought, 1994. S. 516-624.

3. Heidegger M. Plato's doctrine of truth // Heidegger M. Time and being. Articles and speeches. M.: Respublika, 1993. S. 345-361.

4. Bacon F. On the dignity and multiplication of sciences // Bacon F. Collected Works. In 2 vols. T. 1. M .: Thought, 1977. S. 81-522.

5. Bacon F. New Organon // Bacon F. Collected Works. In 2 vols. T.2. M.: Thought, 1978. S. 7-214.

6. Homer. Odyssey // Homer. Iliad. Odyssey. M.: Eksmo, 2009. 896 p.

7. Shtal I.V. "Odyssey" - a heroic poem of wanderings. M.: Nauka, 1978. 168 p.

8. Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia. In 2 vols. T. 2. M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1988. 719 p. from ill.

9. Goethe I.V. Faust. M.: Fiction, 1969. 512 p.

ANCIENT MYTH OF THE CAVE IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN CULTURAL TRADITIONS

The article is devoted to the problem of the Greek myth about a cave in the European cultural tradition, in philosophy and the literature, are compared interpretations of an image of a cave by Homer, Plato, F. Bacon, J.W. Goethe, M. Heidegger.

Keywords: a parable of cave, philosophy of cognition, mythological symbols, metaphors of cognition

Ancient Greece gave the world sages whose teachings laid the foundations modern sciences. Their works and thoughts do not lose their significance for thousands of years. These works include Plato's "Myth of the Cave", an analysis of which, summary and accepted interpretations are presented in the article.

About Plato

Plato is an ancient Greek philosopher whose writings are studied and inspired by many followers. Born in Athens, in a family whose roots came from the ancient kings.

Plato received a complete education at that time and began to write poetry. Acquaintance with Socrates and their friendship became an incentive to delve into philosophy. In Athens, he will justify his school, where he will pass on knowledge to many worthy students.

The works of Plato are framed in a non-standard form of dialogues, most of which are conventionally conducted with Socrates.

Philosophical foundations are not set out in a clear order, in his dialogues they pass as a system of ideas. Plato's "Myth of the Cave" is one of his well-known allegorical justifications for the theories of human society and belief in higher powers.

The Myth of the Cave by Plato. Summary

Plato's "Myth of the Cave" is his allegory, which the philosopher uses to explain his theories. We can find it in the work "The State", in the seventh chapter. Plato's "Myth of the Cave" is briefly looked at below.

The beginning of the myth is a description of the scene: "an underground dwelling, like a cave." There are people in strong chains that do not allow them to turn towards the light or look around. These people only see what is right in front of them. They are facing away from the fire and the light it gives. A wall passes nearby, behind which other, free people carry various things: statues, household items and luxuries. People who are prisoners of the cave do not see the objects themselves, but only their shadows. They examine them, give names, but their real appearance, color, the very essence of objects is inaccessible to them. Likewise, the sounds that they can hear are mistakenly attributed by people in chains to shadows. They do not see the true objects, but only the shadows and their idea of them.

"The Myth of the Cave" climax

Plato's "Myth of the Cave" reveals his ideas quite dynamically and smoothly.

Further, Plato, in his dialogue with Glavkon, develops the plot as follows: he leads the reader to think how the prisoner will behave if he is released and allowed to look at things whose shadows he saw. Plato's interlocutor says that it would be excruciatingly painful for the former prisoner, here "you need a habit."

Both Plato and Glavkon recognize the high probability that the released prisoner of the cave will be able to understand and accept the essence of real objects, leaving their shadows as an erroneous perception. But what happens if the prisoner comes back? Plato and Glavkon come to the conclusion that, returning to the cave, the former liberated will try to open the eyes of his comrades. Will it be accepted and understood by them? Unfortunately, no, he will be ridiculous and crazy for them until his eyes get used to the darkness and the shadows again take the place of real outlines. Moreover, his chained environment will believe that his freedom and being outside the cave made him unhealthy and that they themselves should not strive for liberation.

Thus, Plato explains the striving for a higher idea by the individual and the attitude of society towards this striving.

The Myth of the Cave by Plato. Meaning explicit and hidden

The myth, which is not even a separate work, became the property of both philosophy and many other scientific movements, each of which found its own hidden meanings. Here are the most reasonable and obvious aspects of the meaning of myth from a human point of view:

sensuality and supersensibility. Shadows are visible to the senses, voices are heard by them. But it is necessary to make an effort to understand the essence of things. Precisely supersensibility is the application of mental effort;
the state as fetters, liberation and return (this aspect has many variations and sub-themes);
visibility and impression. A person sees a shadow, but does not see an object. He projects his impressions onto the shadow, so that the response replaces the concept itself;
human lifestyle. Alignment only to the senses is a limited, ascetic being. Mental efforts to evaluate what he saw - supersensitive perception, philosophical assessment.

Myth Analysis

There are works that can be discussed for a long time, and they will give no less topics for reflection. This is Plato's "Myth of the Cave". It contains many images and ideas that have been the subject of study of philosophers all over the world for thousands of years.

Consider the meaning of the image of the cave:

Limitation. The cave limits the visibility of a person, his mental activity. The cave as a framework for human knowledge. If its prisoner goes beyond the limits, the foundations inside them do not change and they no longer accept him back. The cave itself seems to protect itself from destruction. If the people inside her saw the sunlight even once, they would give everything to get out of the darkness. But the cave closes this light from them, and there is no faith in lonely prophets.
Cave as a state. A controversial idea. Plato himself never emphasized such a perception of his images. But perhaps he feared for his school and students. Such ideas, stated publicly, could seriously harm him. Therefore, Plato created the "State", "The Myth of the Cave" by placing it in this work.

Finally

Plato's "Myth of the Cave" is his way in one fragment to express the main ideas of the perception of the world, the state and the place of man in it. Everyone can interpret his ideas in the way his worldview and worldview tells him, from this the value of this nugget of world philosophy will not decrease.