The Cave before Plato

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

My subject is the Cave before Plato. Indeed, my thesis is that there was a Cave before Plato. Much like Plato’s myths, I contend, the Cave was not his invention, but his adoption and repurposing of an established cosmic-eschatological scheme. Although nothing crucial turns on the label, I am happy to call this background Pythagorean. The study is preliminary in that it concentrates on the background to Plato’s Cave. Nevertheless, getting the background right is important because it reveals an overlooked feature that the Cave shares with Plato’s cosmic myths of judgement, including the myth of Er. That feature is that our current life is set in Hades.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRe-Reading Plato’s Republic
EditorsMary Margaret McCabe, Simon Trépanier
Place of PublicationEdinburgh
PublisherEdinburgh University Press
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 4 Dec 2023

Publication series

NameEdinburgh Leventis Studies
Volume11

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Plato
  • afterlife
  • cave

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