The story
Described by Plato in the Allegory of the Cave in the Republic.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: An allegorical cave whose unwitting, chained inhabitants perceive reality only in the form of shadow puppetry cast by the light of a man-made fire, lacking any awareness of the limitations of their perspective or its constructed nature. Full definition →
Described by Plato in the Allegory of the Cave in the Republic.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.