[coldtea]

>Plato's "Allegory of the cave" was uninteresting and uninformative when I first read it more than 50 years ago. It remains so today.

Anything can be uninteresting and uninformative when one doesn't see it's interestingness or can't grok its information.

It however stood for millenia as a great device to describe multiple layers of abstractions, deeper reality vs appearance, and so on, with utility as such in countless domains.

[giardini]

No. the Allegory is a fragment of a poor unfinished story and little more. You don't need it to explain "multiple layers of abstractions, deeper reality vs appearance" as you say. In fact, you don't need it for anything at all except to explain Plato's "Allegory of the cave". Sheesh.

coldtea says "...with utility as such in countless domains." So when's the last time you referred to the "Allegory of the cave" in your day, other than on HN?

[coldtea]

>So when's the last time you referred to the "Allegory of the cave" in your day, other than on HN?

Several times. But it was with broadly educated people, not over-specialized one-dimensional ones.