The Allegory of the Cave (Plato’s Republic)

In this session, we’ll listen to Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave from Book VII, Part 2 of the Republic (about 20 minutes), where Socrates describes the soul’s ascent from ignorance and illusion to the vision of truth and the Good.

This short passage contains some of the most influential imagery in Western philosophy — shadows and fire, imprisonment and liberation, turning of the soul, and the dazzling encounter with reality.

Here's the text and audio if you’d like to check them out beforehand:

Text: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1myqbgC9rKMVtvTX7F39SrPp7zLRDe5-qffAH70wuEqI/edit?usp=sharing
Audio: Start to 17:09 https://ia601908.us.archive.org/27/items/republic_version_2_1310_librivox/republic_14_plato_128kb.mp3

After listening, we’ll open a discussion around questions such as:

• What keeps the soul “chained” in the cave?
• What does it take to turn toward the light?
• How does this allegory relate to education, politics, or spiritual practice today?

No prior knowledge of Plato is required — just curiosity, goodwill, and a willingness to dialogue together.