Nicholas Dease: Outside Reading Blog 2

Plato's Republic BK VII

Interestingly, the concepts of the Sacred and Profane that we covered in class may be related to Plato's book VII of the Republic. In it, Plato recounts the infamous allegory of the cave, which implies that the world humanity lives and acts in is nothing more than a world of appearance and that there is an ultimate reality (of the forms) that is beyond the paltry world of shadows. This description is comparable to that of the sacred and profane orders which similarly state that there is a divine world order which is beyond any established human order. In the case of Plato's allegory, humanity is confined to living out their days in a cave. Chained to the floor and forced to watch shadows dance on the wall, their entire existence and system of value concerns only shadows. These shadows are not the objects in themselves, but are rather merely two dimensional facsimiles of reality. To this extent, the position of humanity is thus confined to the profane. However, through an extensive process of awakening, one may cast off their bonds and reach the surface and see reality for what it is. During this process, one is blinded by the light and is forced to reassess and adjust their understanding of what's real and what's not. Reaching the realm of the Forms is therefore transitioning to the sacred. It's particularly interesting that this path requires one to be blinded as it is frequently suggested, especially within Christianity, that encounters with the divine often “Blind one” with radiating light.

Another interesting note regarding this experience is that Plato suggests that once one views the forms, it is their duty to travel back to the cave and liberate his or her fellows. Resistant to changing their views, those unable to leave the cave are driven to kill the enlightened one out of fear. This sentiment is often reflected in popular culture and myth. One instance in particular, which we viewed in class, is in Apocalypse Now. In the film, Willard is sent to eliminate the “awakened” Colonol Kurtz because his very existence represents a threat to the profane world-order. Kurtz is illustrated as adhering to the sacred order of nature in the same way that Plato's enlightened one is adhering to the realm of the forms. Both are assassinated for attempting to bring knowledge of the sacred to the profane. Ultimately, there is a clear parallel in both the sequence of events as well as the significance of the two orders in relation to reality.