okay Glaucon so
i want you to picture a cave full of prisoners
who have been in the cave their whole lives
and they’re all shackled in a line facing the back wall
my god
what a nightmare
those poor people
ok no
I mean yes, it’s terrible, but no that’s not the point
anyhow
they’re shackled so they can only look at the back wall
they can’t move their heads
what monster would do this
and there’s a fire behind them
A FIRE IN THE CAVE
MY GOD
THESE POOR SOULS WILL BURN TO DEATH
WE MUST RESCUE THEM
no it’s just
it’s just a thought experiment
I want to talk about epistemology
WHAT FOUL SPIRIT WOULD CHAIN HUMAN BEINGS UNDER
THE EARTH LIKE HADES
no one
no one
they’re just there
WE MUST MAKE HASTE
THESE SHACKLED CITIZENS CANNOT FREE THEMSELVES
it’s an allegory
the cave is just an allegory
IMPOSSIBLE
IT IS THE WORK OF A KNAVE AND A BRIGAND
AND I SHALL NOT REST UNTIL HE IS DEAD