Plato's Political Philosophy: The Cave

Roger L. Huard invites readers to explore Plato's myth of the Cave, which is central to his magnum opus on political philosophy, Republic. He debunks conventional interpretations, and unfolds Plato's notions about the structure of the world, and his ideas about justice and human well being. The primary goal of this exploration is to arrive at an understanding of Plato's political ideas - an understanding that is not saddled with the misconceptions that plague contemporary interpretations of his thinking, conservative and progressive alike. This re -examination provides a way to look at the human condition that is significantly different from most available perspectives on the matter and that, by virtue of this difference, challenges both our conceptions of the cosmos and many of our deeply held political beliefs. The author provides a reinterpretation of the Cave myth that discusses specifically the structure of knowledge that is imbedded in the myth as well as the concept of philosophy and the philosopher that it details, especially in terms of the relationship of the philosopher to the greater social order. The structure of the world that Plato's myth rests upon is fundamentally different from current scientific and religious conceptions of the cosmos; and Plato's notions about the structure of the world are linked to his ideas about justice and human well -being, a link that is forged implicitly in his myth of the Cave. The author proceeds to a discussion of four topics that separate contemporary political thinking from Plato's: freedom, equality, truth, and art. The book concludes with a discussion on the importance of Plato's political philosophy and how it is linked at afundamental level to some of our cherished political beliefs about justice, human well -being and community. * Roger L. Huard is a political philosopher who lives in western Michigan.