The Cave

During the Greek Times, when philosophers flourished and ideas spread, there was one philosopher named Socrates. Born 469 B.C, he was an important philosopher of the time, having laid down the foundations of western philosophy and was a great thinker and teacher.
However, as at the time, the Greek religion was devoted to Gods and deities, he was accused of introducing "new gods" and was branded a heretic, forced to drink a toxic liquid in 399 B.C.

After his death, one of his pupils, Plato (who also wrote about an underwater city submerged by the waves named Atlantis), also became a rather well known philosopher and published a series of 10 books, called the Republic, dealing with numerous philosophical topics with Socrates as a "mouthpiece" for the topics instead of Plato directly narrating his thoughts.

Among the composition of ideas, discussions and lectures of is a rather well known fictional discussion between Socrates and Glaucon (older brother of Plato). Socrates was explaining the concept of one emerging from ones lower life to a being of higher intellect. To prove his point, he created a special abstract yet effective image of a cave.

A set of prisoners in a cave, chained so that they cannot move themselves, imprisoned since their childhood and all their lives. Above and behind them is a raised way (like a wall), and behind the wall is a fire burning in the distance. Men are behind the wall, holding up wooden and stone representation of animals and beings, like shadow puppets. Because of the chains, the prisoners cannot turn their heads, they could only see the shadows of the objects in front of the fire, the closest they could percieve of reality.
Suppose one of the prisoners are freed. After getting up and experiencing sharp pains while doing so, the person who freed the prisoner shows him the puppets, the truth that what he saw of reality is an illusion. (no surprise why this allegory was compared many times with The Matrix)
The prisoner is then dragged up a steep way, and then the prisoner is taken out to the sunlight. He is blinded briefly, like knowledge being forced into one without, sight into blind eyes.
The prisoner is forced to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. First, he sees the shadows of objects, then the reflections of objects in the water, and finally the objects themselves. He will then be able to gaze at the moon and the star dotted heavens, and then he shall withstand the sun.
The prisoner has found the truth, he has awakened from illusion and has found the true reality.
Now, the prisoner free from the chains, but the rest of the prisoners are still trapped in the cave, and he will pity them. But if he decides to go back into the cave and bring another prisoner out, he would be caught by the guards and put to death.

The allegory of the cave is Plato's perception of the struggle of one releasing him or herself from the illusions of life to a state of knowing. Many people these days take the allegory as Plato's plan for a perfect utopia, or a perfect functioning society.

I'm bringing this Allegory up because I found that not only it parallels the Scientology method in many ways, it also parallels the quest of one seeking to free themselves of Scientology.


As many people might have known already, Scientology is an organized self proclaimed religion that promises enlightment to those who join them.
According to the Church of Scientology, everyone in the world outside the Church of Scientology is living in a shadowed life of unenlighment, which is called in Scientology terms, a "Wog" life (also a racist British slang word). Scientology is supposedly the saviors of the humans plagued by the lack of bliss, the figure releasing the prisoner of the cave. Using bizzare methods, they help people reach their higher potential.

Apparently, their claim and their efforts to 'help' people reach enlightment is a rather good match to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, and because of this, it justifies Scientology as a helper of people. After all, we're all living in some depressive cave where everything is just a shadow, and Scientology is the guide to the light, to freedom, right?

Far from it. The justification of Scientology by comparing it to the Allegory of the Cave is no different to a vollyball team claiming they can rescue tennis players from a "vollyless world", and say they're genuine by pointing at Plato.

In fact, the Allegory of the Cave may actually be a great model in freeing one from Scientology.

Contray to Scientology's claim that the reality outside Scientology is a cave with prisoners needing saving, the real cave is actually Scientology itself. If reality outside the Church of Scientology IS a cave, then the people following Scientology are just being led to a much darker cave.

So Scientology is a cave, its members are the prisoners, except that the guards of the cave are no blinder than the prisoners themselves. In the allegory, someone has to come and free the prisoner from their chains. That someone can be anyone; an Ex Scientologist like you people, a relative or friend of the prisoner, an activist, or someone else not related to Scientology or some other cult. The more of the real reality the prisoner is clinging on to, the easier we can free him/her.

Now, if the prisoner or anyone tries to come back to the cave and save the other prisoners, the potential rescuer is put to death. The people controlling the prisoners will do anything to prevent the prisoners from escaping. The puppeteers control their puppets.
As we know and have heard plenty of times, defying Scientology is like stepping on the foot of a crimelord. They will strap down anyone who tries to escape, and they will eliminate anyone against it. It is always dangerous to try and pull someone out of the cave, and it's always dangerous to attempt to release yourself from the chains.

But once you do break the prisoner's chains, you have to show him/her the truth, that all that they've saw were just shadows. Show them the puppets, hand them the redpill, or in this case, show them evidence of the crimes of Scientology, let them meet Ex Scientology members, have them read other books, get them to watch real movies, let them embrace pop music, etc.

Once they start reconnecting, bring them out of the cave, and let them fully grasp the real world out there. Let them get used to their new reality and see truth, let them see the sun.
And while your at it, try to get them as far away from Scientology as possible, or at least keep them from taking the prisoner back to the cave.