Plato’s Metaphysics Plato’s school of thought embraces a conviction in a dualistic structure of existence. The Greek philosopher firmly believed that the Forms were constantly in tension with the material world. For instance, he claimed that human bodies literally held us back from grasping the Forms. An embodied human, Plato taught, could only apprehend the material particular of an everyday object. This is because each thing takes part in its Form; for example, my Saint Vincent College bluebook looks blue, but this is only since the Form of Blue sheds its light upon the bluebook’s very being. Ultimately, the physical entity serves as an obstruction, because it is not the authentic Form even though one is inclined to think it is genuine. The bluebook merely gives the appearance of the Form of Blue. Book VII’s account of the cave more deeply reveals Plato’s intricate metaphysical framework. The “cavelike dwelling” and its inhabitants represent those people who are ignorant of the true Forms (463). More to it, the cave depicts the reality of the physical world: it is perceived by human senses; it is constantly changing; and finally, it is a pseudo-reality. In …show more content…
The narrative describes the cave as an “underground dwelling” with “human beings living” inside (463). Although “light is provided by a fire burning far above and behind them,” the prisoners face a wall and cannot turn around. Instead, the humans, “with their necks and legs fettered,” are only able “to see in front of them” (463). Behind the prisoners and in front of the fire are people who carry “multifarious artifacts,” such as statues of people and other animals, made of stone, wood, and every material” (463). Each day, the prisoners watch the shadows of these people and the objects they carry around. Furthermore, they hear the murmurs of the people standing near the