Plato was a philosopher living in Athens during the Hellenistic period. He was an aristocrat, but did not venture into politics, instead having a love of philosophy instilled in him by his tutor, Socrates. Plato thought and taught philosophy his whole life, and unlike Socrates wrote his ideas down in the form of dialogues. One such work is the Republic, in which the analogy of the cave is expounded. In the analogy of the cave, …showed first 75 words of 778 total…

…showed last 75 words of 778 total…is a miscalculation". An important point in Plato's analogy of the cave is that the prisoners always possess within themselves the ability to perceive true goodness. All it takes is for them to be willing to question the truth of the shadows, and to make the tough climb to the upper airs. The climb is not a physical journey but an intellectual enlightenment brought about by reason. It is simply a "turning of the eyes".