People in the cave

Prisoners have been held in the cave since childhood, so shackled that they can only sit with their backs to the entrance, facing the wall opposite. People and animals pass by in front of the cave entrance, and objects are carried, but the prisoners cannot see them. They only see their shadows falling on the wall thanks to the fire burning behind them. They consider this reflection, these shadows, the only reality. Only when freed from their bonds, by looking back, would they be able to recognize "what is true." And if they could only leave the cave, they would be convinced that the sun is the cause of all life."

from Plato's "Republic"

Based on this thought, we can reach the following conclusion: man is a prisoner of the senses; only reason can grant him freedom, through which he will be able to perceive more than the world perceived through the senses: shadows on the wall, reflections of objects and things outside the cave. It is through thought that ideas can be known. At the apex of the world of ideas stands the principle of good, the supreme idea, the cause of everything. In the parable of the cave, Plato writes of the sun, the source of light and life. Similarly, the idea of good, the supreme, divine principle, shines at the apex of the world of thought.

Unlike fleeting phenomena and impermanent things—a concrete, painted triangle, a just judgment, a chair—ideas are eternal; they are numerous and interconnected. A person learns about ideas through the soul. The soul exists in the world of ideas even before it enters the human body. However, with this incarnation, knowledge of ideas is lost. However, it can be revived if certain conditions are met. Therefore, not all people possess the same knowledge. A necessary condition for the soul to recall its knowledge (anamnesis) is its purification from the influence of the senses. And the way to access it is dialectic—the art of wise conversation (such as that of Socrates).

What is the purpose of recalling the world of ideas (i.e., anamnesis)? It is primarily about knowing beauty, about beauty itself, that is, about recognizing the idea of beauty, for "(...) only at this level is life worthwhile: when one contemplates beauty in itself " [Plato]. And this is also what love, as Plato understands it ("Platonic love"), consists of: it is not a love of pure friendship, nor a feeling for beautiful bodies, but a love for beauty itself.

The goal of cognition is also true knowledge, but it is not derived from sensory impressions and perceptions, as the Sophists believed. Plato expresses the relationship between being and cognition, that is, his teaching on the two worlds of ideas and phenomena, through the analogy of a line: A line, composed of four equal segments, reflects the cosmos. The first two segments, shadows and reflections, as well as objects experienced through the senses, create the world of phenomena. The subsequent segments, mathematical objects and ideas, create a world accessible to thought. The higher the level of being—from shadows to ideas—the higher the level of knowledge: from supposition, conjecture, imagination (shadow), through faith (objects), rational consideration (mathematics), to direct insight into ideas—philosophical knowledge. Only the last two levels of knowledge, assigned to the world of ideas, convey true knowledge, and therefore knowledge acquired in the world of phenomena is merely opinion...

Those more versed in ancient philosophy will immediately recall the famous statement by Antisthenes, an opponent of the world of ideas: "Plato, I always see a horse, but never 'horseness'." Therefore, we are to believe in our senses or in our thoughts, which are the origin of everything and create the world, that is, provide the senses with nourishment. Each of us should answer this question for ourselves, regardless of our own beliefs, because sometimes it's worth asking questions that are difficult to answer.