Abstract

This paper questions the traditional interpretation of Plato’s Republic 515a5. When Socrates claims that the prisoners in the simile of the Cave are ‘like us’, he does not imply any sort of similarity or analogy between their cognitive state and ours. Rather, I argue he says that we should imagine a cave inhabited by ordinary human beings, instead of some fictitious creatures. Among other things, Plato’s intent is to highlight the weakness of our human nature in both parts of the simile. Consequently, concerning someone’s chance to become true philosopher, Plato’s view is quite pessimistic.