The philosopher is the person who escapes the cave and learns to see objects, not as shadows, but as they really are. Thus these gifted philosophers understand true goodness through education and knowledge of the Forms. In this way, Plato answers the ridicule many philosophers receive for seeming disconnected from reality. Indeed they are disconnected from the reality of the shadows they know a deeper reality that of the sun. The lion symbolizes the soul's spirit, which seeks honor.
Man is a metaphor for the soul's reasoning capacities, best exemplified by the philosophers.
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