In book VII of The Republic by Plato, Plato uses a cave metaphor to express the lack of education and the process of getting educated. Plato believes that education is the turning of the soul to truth and goodness. The cave metaphor speaks on the difference between the physical and intellectual realms, the steps to facing reality, and fusion of mathematics in education. Plato’s cave metaphor starts out with chained prisoners facing a wall in the cave. Since they are chained they are unable to change the direction in which they are looking. Behind the prisoners is the opening of the cave and a line that divides the cave from the outside world. Although the prisoners are separated, they see shadows projected of the people and animals that pass by on the wall in front of them. The shadows on the wall became their reality and actual reality was an illusion to them. Plato makes a point in saying that if these prisoners were freed they would probably prefer to go back in to the cave because they would be confused, wanting to go back to what they were familiar with. If the prisoner were forced out of the cave, the objects that made the shadows would be harder to figure but they would gradually familiarize themselves with things step by step. Step one being that at first they would look only at the shadows casted by objects and people. In step two they would recognize reflections. In step three they would look at the object itself. In step four they would look at the night sky and lastly they would look recognize the sun. Plato draws a line between the physical realm and the intellectual realm; perception versus reasoning. The intellectual realm consists of form and ideas. The physical realm consists of appearance and opinion. The chained prisoner can be compared to an uneducated person because he has no ideas or form and is not able to perceive anything other than shadows. Plato argues that the prisoner may know what the shadows are but