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Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and sim theory

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, written around 380 years before Christ, was first published in The Republic. It is arguably one of the most influential texts in the history of philosophy and has helped form an understanding of the nature of reality.

The text describes a powerful metaphor as to the nature of reality and human perception.

The allegory describes prisoners chained to a wall in a cave whose only perspective is of shadows on the wall from objects passing in front of a fire behind them. The prisoners know of no other truth, so interpret what they see as reality.

The allegory is a representation of reality. We believe what is presented in front of us (something Eastern traditions have described as ‘maya’ – which translates to ‘illusion’) despite not actually being the full story or true nature of things. It challenges us to seek deeper meaning and understanding.

The prisoner who is able to escape the cave and see the reality beyond represents the seeker of truth and enlightenment. The process of this completely altered perception (think Red Pill) is where the challenge lies but is a necessary part of the journey to wisdom.

The allegory suggests that we should challenge existing world views and not buy into everything we are presented with at face value.

Donald Hoffman is somebody we will discuss in later posts and is renowned for his work as a cognitive scientist. Hoffman uses a computer desktop as his analogy, its icons representing different aspects of life. His point is that we only see what appears on the surface, not what is going on under the hood (the complexity and true nature of things). Hoffman likens life to a video game. We can get very good at it but that’s because we’ve mastered surface level aspects without an understanding of the deeper mechanics behind them.

The allegory has inspired many films and texts (most famously The Matrix) and is considered the anchor of simulation theory.

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