Echoes and Shadows: A Phenomenological Reconsideration of Plato's Cave Allegory

Edvin Ostergaard

doi:10.29173/pandpr29372

Abstract

In the cave allegory, Plato illustrates his theory of ideas by showing that the world man senses and tries to understand, actually only is a dim representation of the real world. We know the allegory for its light and shadow; however, there is also sound and echo in the cave. In this article, I discuss whether the narrative of the prisoners in the cave is in tune with an audial experience and whether an allegory led by sound corresponds to the one led by sight. I start with a phenomenological analysis of the cave as a place of sound. After that, I elaborate on the training of attentive listening skills and its ramifications for pedagogical practice. I conclude that there are profound differences between seeing and listening and that sound reveals different aspects of “the real” compared to sight. The significance of Plato’s cave allegory should be evaluated in relation to modern, scientific thought characterised by a visual-spatial language. With support of this allegory, the light-shadow polarity has become the Urbild of represented reality. At the same time, a visually oriented culture of ideas repeatedly confirms Plato’s cave allegory as its central metaphor. Finally, an elaboration on the sounds in the cave proves to be fruitful in an educational sense: The comparison of sound and sight sharpens the differences and complementarities of audial and visual experiences.

Highlights

Among Plato’s dialogues, the allegory of the cave holds a unique position
The experience made me ask: Is the story of the people in the cave in tune with an audial experience and does an allegory led by sound correspond to the one led by sight?
Plato lets us understand that the shadows of the moving persons behind the prisoners are visual representations of the carriers. In his analysis of the cave allegory, Heidegger (2002) notes that “[t]he prisoners do see the shadows but not as shadows of something” and that they “have no relationship to light as light, for neither do they see the fire that casts the light” (p. 20)

Summary

Introduction

Among Plato’s dialogues, the allegory of the cave holds a unique position. The narrative of the prisoners watching the shadows on the cave wall is well-known from philosophy textbooks and perhaps the most famous of Plato’s allegories and parables. Plato creates a situation where light and sound come together and are perceived as shadows and echoes In this sense, Plato’s cave has become a reality in the cinema (Marsden, 2014). Plato lets us understand that the shadows of the moving persons behind the prisoners are visual representations of the carriers In his analysis of the cave allegory, Heidegger (2002) notes that “[t]he prisoners do see the shadows but not as shadows of something” and that they “have no relationship to light as light, for neither do they see the fire that casts the light (italics original)” Perhaps it is easier to find a kinship between seeing and listening when we compare them in a learning environment?

Listening and Learning

Conclusion