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In book 7 of Plato's The Republic, there's a famous allegory in which Socrates

describes prisoners shackled in a cave. Behold, human beings living in an underground cave which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave.

Here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chain so that they cannot move,

and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. the prisoners are staring at the wall in front of them.

Behind them there's a fire.

Behind them too puppeteers are manipulating their puppets.

The prisoners just see the shadows before them,

but take them for reality.

They don't realize they are mere reflections.

Then a prisoner is released and is taken up a steep and rugged ascent to the sun. But what use did Plato make of this allegory? What was he trying to say?

Sum in Blackburn is professor of philosophy at Cambridge University, an author of a recent book on Plato's Republic.

Simon Blackburn, welcome to Philosophy Bights.

Thank you very much, nice to see you. Today I'd like to ask you about Plato's philosophy, specifically his image of the cave, which is probably the most famous part of his book the Republic.

Could you just sketch for us what that image is and what its point is?

Let me try the point first. I think the point is going to be something to do with an assent

of the soul. It's going to be something to do with an ascent of the soul. It's going to be something to do with

improvement, with somehow breaking out of the rather depressing state of everyday humanity

and ascending to something better.

It's a very peculiar image in detail because of course it's not just that we're in a cave,

...