2018 Reprint of 1875 Second Edition. The Allegory of the Cave, or Plato's Cave, comprises Book VIII of Plato's Republic. It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates, narrated by the latter. Plato has Socrates describe a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall from objects passing in front of a fire behind...