 He distinguished three stages, the first is that of the common people and their intelligibles are linked to the material objects; the second is that of the natural scientists or philosophers, and their intelligibles are linked to the spiritual forms. (IB-CIM: 18;  IB-coll-fakhry: 167; IB-coll-genequand: 196 §41).  The third is that of the blessed. Avempace knew Plato’s Republic and the allegory of the cavern, he recalls it in order to exemplify these stages: