Our Inspiration

The Allegory of the Cave has been the source of inspiration for our work and it reflects wonderfully our philosophy and approach in people development.

It was used by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic to illustrate (…the impact of education and the lack of it on our (human) nature”(514a-520a).

In a fictional dialogue between Socrates (Plato’s teacher)and Glaukon (Plato’s brother) Socrates describes a scenery deep in a cave where a group of people lives since their infancy. These people have been always chained in such a way that they cannot move their heads to any other direction than to a blank wall in front of them. Behind them there is a fire and between the fire and them there is a passing on which other people pass holding up various objects. The shadows of the objects project on the wall but not the shadows of the people carrying them because there is a small wall that prevents the projection of their shadows. The chained people begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. When one of them is freed and shown the reality outside the cave he comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all. From this point on, he can perceive the true form of reality (e.g. the true objects) rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners. According to Plato’s Socrates, every prisoner that was freed should return back to the cave to help other prisoners, although he might be mocked by them and even had to face their hostility.

People development is their road out of the cave. People in the cave had the potential to see the reality (they all had a sharp vision) but were deprived from the opportunities to see reality and actualize their potential. Cave is committed to provide people with the opportunities to broaden their vision and actualize their potential.