forms of Forms for reform

Since I feel that we covered the nature of governments rather thoroughly in class this past week, I would like to turn my attention back to the cave from Book VII. Within the cave, Socrates placed not only the chained population but also a group of people standing before the fire manipulating statues to form the shadows. These people, it appears, are the sophists. They have not left the cave completely but are probably just using statues that were passed down to them; they educate the people with ideas they barely understand themselves and only assume their conclusions are correct. This is a perfect example of the blind leading the blind.

However, Socrates points out that to truly educate this population, the man who has escaped from the cave to observe the outside world and the Sun, the Form of Good, must return and teach them himself. But one may ask how he would teach these people who are not even capable of moving their heads to turn around. I believe that Socrates shows us that the philosopher-king, in the cave analogy, would compete with the sophists with statues and shadows of his own. He argues that by directly addressing the people, the enlightened person would become a victim of rebellion and would be attacked for telling such radical “lies.” He knows that those who do not naturally escape the cave would not be able to bear the pain that comes from learning new ideas too quickly and in a manner that is strange to them. However, by using his own statues, which would resemble true objects as much as possible, he would be able to educate the people gradually and in a more convincing manner. One practical example from The Republic that shows Socrates’ belief in this style of teaching occurs when he tells the Noble Lie in order to create unity and maintain order in the city. His lie to the people shows that he is willing to use whatever methods necessary to accomplish what is best for them. By using his own “statues,” Socrates can help soften the natures of the population so that they will be better able to reach the truth.