A Short Story about the (or a) Conservative Reaction to the Enlightenment
Two children grew up in a cave. They were taught that the outside world is and dangerous and sinful and that the Cave God protected them. Yet as growing children and curious about the rest of the world, they asked their elders many questions. The elders had never been outside of the cave and did not know how to answer. When the children became young adults they decided to leave the cave and become explorers. Their first steps were shaky and they tired easily. They ate some berries that sickened them, and for a day got lost in the woods. In desperation, one said to the other, “We must return to the protection of the Cave God.” Reluctantly, the other agreed. When they re-entered the cave, the elders admonished them, saying: “See, you never should have left the cave in the first place!”
Related: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, in the Philosophers, Explained series.
Related: The Enlightenment Vision flowchart:
