Para além das sombras do litígio: as técnicas de mediação de conflitos sob a ótica do mito da caverna

Abstract

This study addresses the use of conflict mediation techniques under the perspective of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The rationale rests on the Judiciary's chronic delays and a contemporary society blinded by social media and fake news , where litigants act like cave prisoners clinging to distorted realities. The general objective is to analyze mediation techniques (active listening, paraphrasing, rapport, and caucus) to show how they lead individuals out of the darkness of dispute toward rational understanding , leading to the problem question: how can mediation techniques help conflicting parties overcome their distorted views, comparable to platonic shadows, to achieve dialogue and true knowledge? The brief conclusion shows that mediation, through the impartial mediator (analogous to the freed prisoner), breaks the imaginary chains of litigation, allowing parties to abandon the clash against shadows and reach a peaceful resolution.