Democracy and America In and Out of Caves

The allegory of the cave is one of the most famous and influential constructs in philosophy, and has survived over two thousand years to remain a widely studied and interpreted theoretical creation. In forming it, Plato simultaneously demonstrates two distinct ideas. First, he examines the state of individual human thought, and the ability it has to transition from the state of opinion into that of knowing. Second, he examines the state of society and the goals of the city and political life as they relate to the good. In doing this, he demonstrates the means one has to emerge from the cave, and argues for the importance of philosophy as the means of liberation. He also shows the importance of the “poets,” those who form opinions in the city, in helping or hindering one’s quest of liberation. Alexis De Tocqueville examines America, and displays how its lack of cultural traditions can threaten the value of knowledge, and how the opinions of the poets can become meaningless under the tyranny of the majority.

On a basic level, the cave is a representation of life in the city. The citizens of a city are those souls tied up able to look only at the shadows on the wall. They see reflections of life, partial representations of the good, of justice, and think these are the whole, the “form” in Platonic language. In this way they live out their lives, unaware they are merely viewing a shadow puppet show controlled by others. Indeed, they believe this to be the whole, and are fiercely defensive of their ignorance, without a desire to turn their heads.

The city itself has certain values and ideals which it takes to be most important, to represent the good of the city, and these are the ones it seeks to impart onto its citizens. The city is not concerned with finding the good, but rather with justifying itself and helping itself to perpetually exist. It considers those opinions which it has to be the good, and so values them. Its opinions may overlap with the good, and indeed it is likely that in stable societies there is an overlap, but this is simply a way for the city to justify itself to its citizens, and not for the sake of the good itself.

Within an individual, this condition is represented by the state of opinion. Thus, everyone is born into a cave, into a city where there are preexisting opinions and cultural values which help shape their childhood, and form their initial opinions. This causes them to grow up with a set of values, which were determined for them. At some point, this individual may be turned around, and made to face the fire. Here he will see that all he has learned previous is nothing but the shadow of truth, and he will view the puppets which cast them.

These puppets are not the truth, but they are a step in the direction of it. This is the stage of informed opinion, where an individual grasps enough to know some of the truth, and to see the depths from which he has come. He must still be dragged further though, in order to escape the cave completely, and see the world as it truly is. If he finally escapes the cave, he will realize all that has been before has been simply opinion and he will gaze upon the true forms of things. This is perhaps the most critical part of Plato’s philosophy. Plato argues that there are transcendental truths, and that escape from the cave is possible.

The antithesis of this is what Plato calls nihilism. In this belief, there is nothing but relativism, and each cave has its own truths, which are only superior to others societies beliefs’ if they enable the city to function better. This belief sets up society as nothing more than a Hobbesian system where life is nothing more than a set of compromises, and justice exists only in living within the system set up. There is no escape from the historical relativism one is born into, and no higher ideals of the good. Plato rejects this view unequivocally. Although he is not clear about what justice and truth actually are, he is clear that these are absolutes and exist. He argues this based on the ability of humanity to form separate caves, and to exist in a bifurcated manner, with the ability to separate rational thought from the desires of the senses. He argues the humanity is capable of grasping the principles which make up how things are, and in so doing transcend the historical relativism of the cave.

An important concept in how society is set up, and also how a person achieves movement through cave and finally liberation from it, is the role of the puppeteers in the cave. These are the people who manipulate the puppets, and so cause the shadows to interact in different ways for the viewing and discussion of those living in bondage. In practical terms, this refers to those living in the state of opinion in the city. The puppeteers determine their opinions and shape their views on the good and the city itself. Plato views the poets as the puppeteers, and in contemporary society, they can be thought of as mass media and the consumer cultural that Western society embodies today. From an early age, one is barraged with images and cultural values from the television, movies, music, and these greatly influence how one learns to shape thoughts and opinions. On another level, cultural values themselves infuse people, giving them preset values. The view of the puppet –handlers so far expressed has been very negative, and it is an incomplete one. The puppet-handlers also fulfill needed and essential duties, vital both to the health of a cave, and to the ascent from it. As the cultural filters, they are responsible for imparting important values on the population. In a healthy city, these values will contain bits of the truth, perhaps even large amounts of the truth. A city must have some aspects of the universal in it if the city is to function well. Also, this filtering of the truth can help those looking at the shadows to begin their journey. In The Republic, Plato himself can be seen as one the puppet-handlers and The Republic as his attempt to send down a light to help people be liberated.

People are self-conscious individuals, Plato argues, and always have the capacity to realize they are in the cave. This realization is not synonymous to an escape, however. They first must pass through the puppet-handlers, and realize that these are not true values either. In short, one is born into a world with preconceived notions, based on the historical culture one lives in. At first, one accepts these as the reality, and thinks they are the truth and the whole. Eventually, one can gain a realization that these are merely opinions being fed to society by those setting the cultural values. One may then think this is the truth and the whole, and that one’s aim should be merely to be a value setter, a Sophist. Through the study of philosophy, one can educate oneself and realize that those setting cultures are merely forming opinions writ large, and also do not have access to the truth. Finally, one can emerge from the state of opinion and grasp the true meanings of things as a whole.

Socrates has argued throughout the book that education is the best way to move an individual up and out of the cave. This does not mean that everyone will escape the cave. Socrates construction of the city in the earlier books shows that not everyone is fit to advance completely out into the realm of the philosopher. Many become the producing class, and few advance to the realm of philosopher-kings. Although this escape from the cave is a great accomplishment, Plato argues that a person’s duties are not done at this stage. Just as Socrates does in The Republic, a person who has escaped the cave must return into it, and help to guide others out, even if at first it may be against their will. In today’s society, a liberal arts education perhaps offers the best path one has to extricate themselves from the cave. The cave will always rely on dogmatic belief to some extent, argues Alexis De Tocqueville, for the simple reason that humanity cannot prove everything which he must base his life upon in an intellectually satisfying way. As De Tocqueville says, “…from the shortness of life, he has not the time, nor, from the limits of his intelligence, the capacity… he is reduced to take on trust a host of facts and opinions which he has not had either the time or the power to verify for himself...” (Chapter II, paragraph 3) This reliance on dogmatic beliefs, given by the puppet-masters in Plato’s cave, is what he fears are lacking in America.

De Tocqueville looks at early America, and sees in it a land where the old structures of society have broken down. Instead of authority being placed on the traditionally viewed cultural and political elite, as it was previously in other societies, authority is loosely held by any individual. People trust only their own intellectual capacity. In a society where everyone believes themselves to be as authoritative as anyone else, they cannot rely on dogmatic belief, and the cultural traditions. Although this is a positive from some perspectives and can open up the freedom to study what one desires, and lead to the advancement of philosophy, it has important drawbacks, which are often overlooked in contemporary society. In the place of dogmatic belief, De Tocqueville views the majority as the new authority. This tyranny of the majority comes about because of the lack of inherent authority in the educated elite. As De Tocqueville says, “…his readiness to believe the multitude increases, and opinion is more than ever mistress of the world.” (Chapter II, Paragraph 9) The opinion of the multitude is the only external source of authority one has to base an opinion on in such a society, and so those opinions of the majority are imposed upon the wills of the entire society. While there is certainly scope to think this is in many ways a positive event, it has drawbacks. The views of the educated are not as accepted as those of the master of rhetoric, and so the cave may be ruled by those without proper knowledge.

As we go through life in a culture which exults democracy, the freedom of thought, and the triumph of the majority, it is vital we recognize that Plato’s ancient cautions still hold true today. Regardless of which poets are setting the agenda in a society, we can recognize the difference between opinion and truth. A proper education, including the study of philosophy, is essential in achieving liberation from the cave.