An ancient Greek thought experiment begins with people who have never seen the world outside their cave and trust what is in front of them because they’ve never known anything else. The difficult question arises when asking how they might react to evidence that their understanding is incomplete.
Today’s Trivia Question
Which philosopher described prisoners who mistake shadows on a cave wall for reality?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Bonus if you know the book in which the cave story appears.
| A Few More for Fun… |
The people being freed should be a happy ending, but Plato makes it the first step of a much more difficult experience.
What happens at first when a freed person is made to turn toward the light outside the cave?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Why do the remaining chained people ridicule the man when he returns to the cave?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
| A Few More Trivia Questions Before You Go… |
The cave gives us a way into the “science of shadows,” a history of philosophy, and even a film about a world that is not what it seems.
Science
History
Movies
What 1998 movie features a man who discovers that his everyday life is actually a TV show?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Answers
| TODAY’S QUESTIONAnswer: D. Plato. In his allegory of the cave, the people are chained facing a wall. Behind them, a fire and people carrying objects produce the shadows the chained people see. Without knowing about the objects, the people mistake the shadows for reality. Plato painted this scene to explore education and the differences between appearances and understanding. Bonus points if you knew that it was The Republic. The allegory appears in Book VII, and includes a broader discussion of education, justice, and who should govern society. | |
| 01 | Answer: D. He is dazzled and confused. The unfamiliar light hurts, and things he used to see seem more believable. This is meant to force the reader to consider whether learning begins with discomfort, even when our understanding improves. |
| 02 | Answer: A. He cannot see well in the dark. His eyes have adjusted to the light and need time to readjust to the darkness. From their limited perspective, staying put seems more sensible than changing anything. |
| 03 | Answer: B. Umbra. The umbra is the region of full shadow. The surrounding penumbra has only a partially blocked light source, and you may recognize the terms if you’ve ever witnessed an eclipse. |
| 04 | Answer: C. Socrates. Plato was a student of Socrates and made him the leading voice in many philosophical conversations. In the cave passages, Plato is the author, but Socrates is the speaker. |
| 05 | Answer: B. The Truman Show. In the film, Truman Burbank’s hometown (unknown to him) is a studio set, and every person around him is a performer. Like the people in the cave, he has to reconsider a world he once accepted without question, and it makes for a fascinating story. The cave is easier to recognize when someone else is sitting in it; the tougher question is what might persuade us to turn around ourselves! |
How did you do? Score 1 point for each correct answer and 1 point for the bonus if you knew it. Perfect score: 7.
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