Plato's Cave

proper noun

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.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. epistemologyAn 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.

Origin

Described by Plato in the Allegory of the Cave in the Republic.

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Translations

Portuguese Caverna de Platão
  • Caverna de Platãothe allegorical cave
Cite this entry
APA

Plato's Cave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plato's%20Cave

MLA

“Plato's Cave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plato's%20Cave. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Plato's Cave,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plato's%20Cave.

Source: Plato's Cave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.