Phrase: "If one is beyond the circle of experience..."

"If one is beyond the circle of experience, then one is sure of not being refuted through experience" (140).

To some extent, this idea is at work in Plato's analogy of the cave. The prisoners in the cave can be thought of as outside the circle of experience, for they are forced to experience the world in only one flawed way, which does not accurately reflect the true nature of the world. These prisoners rely solely on a posteriori cognition, meaning that their knowledge does not extend beyond their singular personal experiences. On the other hand, the prisoner who leaves the cave and experiences the world, returns having achieved an understanding of a priori cognition, and is capable of making synthetic cognitions between his experiences both inside and outside the cave. However, he is unable to communicate these cognitions to the prisoners, becuase they are not yet capable of understanding a priori cognitions- they are outside the circle of experience.