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The Allegory of the Cave
- Narrated by: Gil Anders
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
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The Allegory of the Cave
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The Allegory of the Cave appears in Plato’s Republic and compares the effect of education and the lack of it on human nature. It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother and Socrates, who tells of people that have been chained to the wall of a cave their whole lives. They see shadows projected on the wall from objects passing in front of a fire behind them. Socrates explains that the philosopher is like a prisoner who has escaped the cave and realizes that the shadows on the wall are not the true reality at all.
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- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56
Already a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. Author Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much of conventional wisdom, and explains his findings with unbridled brilliance and clarity. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the celebrated days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, up to Renaissance visionaries like Erasmus and Bacon, philosophy emerges here as a phenomenon unconfined by any one discipline.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Bias spoils the work.
- By MC on 08-21-20
By: Anthony Gottlieb
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Discourses: Complete Books 1-4
- Adapted for the Contemporary Reader (Harris Classics)
- By: Epictetus, James Harris
- Narrated by: Greg Douras
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
The Discourses of Epictetus are a series of extracts from the teachings of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. This is the complete version containing books one - four. Each book has been carefully adapted in to modern English to allow for easy listening. Enjoy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Classic work that is too often overlooked . . .
- By Bill Beaulac on 05-29-18
By: Epictetus, and others
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The Life of the Mind
- By: Hannah Arendt
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 45
Considered by many to be Hannah Arendt's greatest work, published as she neared the end of her life, The Life of the Mind investigates thought itself, as it exists in contemplative life. In a shift from her previous writings, most of which focus on the world outside the mind, this work was planned as three volumes that would explore the activities of the mind considered by Arendt to be fundamental. What emerged is a rich, challenging analysis of human mental activity, considered in terms of thinking, willing, and judging.
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2 out of 5 stars
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English only please
- By angela cozea on 11-20-19
By: Hannah Arendt
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Self Reliance
- By: Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Narrated by: Alana Munro
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,015
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 857
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Story4 out of 5 stars 847
The most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas. It is the source of one of Emerson's most famous quotations, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." This essay is a considered a watershed moment in which transcendentalism became a major cultural movement. An American classic.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Don't buy this
- By Leah L on 07-31-16
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The Memorable Thoughts of Socrates
- By: Xenophon, Edward Bysshe - translator
- Narrated by: Nicholas Tecosky
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 67
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 56
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Story4 out of 5 stars 58
Xenophon was a Greek who admired and studied with Socrates. He marched with the Spartans and later was exiled from Athens. He wrote about the history of his times, the sayings of Socrates and about life in Greece. Edward Bysshe translated Xenophone's work in 1702. This translation has continued to have an excellent reputation. In this work Xenophon discusses the views of life taught by Socrates.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Philosopher, Soldier, Historian and Mercenary
- By Darwin8u on 12-04-12
By: Xenophon, and others
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On the Soul & Parva Naturalia
- By: Aristotle
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
Two contrasting reflections by Aristotle which cover very particular ground. In 'On the Soul', Aristotle presents his view of the 'life essence' which, he argues, is possessed by living things whether plants, animals or humans. Not a 'soul' in the generally accepted Western use of the term, this 'soul', he says, is a life force that is indivisible from the organism that possesses it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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DeAnima. Aristotle on the soul.
- By Reader on 07-28-18
By: Aristotle
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The Varieties of Religious Experience
- By: William James
- Narrated by: Jim Killavey
- Length: 18 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 105
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4 out of 5 stars 78
The Varieties of Religious Experience is considered to be the classic work in the field. To quote Wikipedia, "James was most interested in understanding personal religious experience. The importance of James to the psychology of religion - and to psychology more generally - is difficult to overstate. He discussed many essential issues that remain of vital concern today. What makes James writing so special is that he could take a very complex subject and, without watering it down, make it understandable to 'the rest of us.'"
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5 out of 5 stars
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Profound stuff
- By Empowerment on 09-05-09
By: William James
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Miracles
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 460
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 413
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Story5 out of 5 stars 407
"The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this." This is the key statement of Miracles, in which C. S. Lewis shows that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in his creation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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sound, shrewd, well articulated, and well read.
- By Andrew on 09-17-15
By: C. S. Lewis
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Flatland
- A Romance of Many Dimensions
- By: Edwin A Abbott
- Narrated by: Philip Harburgh
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 85
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
In Flatland, originally published in 1884, a humble square describes his two-dimensional world to benefit the inhabitants of Spaceland, the three-dimensional realm he discovers when he is visited by a being from beyond his plane. With dry wit and wild imagination, author Edwin Abbott Abbott builds a meticulous fantasy world rooted in an astute apprehension of psychology, politics, and social structures, as well as basic geometry. The story of Flatland, at once ridiculous and profound, delivers an incisive satire of social discourse that remains remarkably relevant today.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wise, inspiring, humorous, and subtle satire and preaching.
- By Kevin Cobb on 03-02-21
By: Edwin A Abbott
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The Wisdom of Life, Counsels and Maxims
- By: Arthur Schopenhauer
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 75
'The two foes of human happiness are pain and boredom.' Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was one of the most influential philosophers of the 19th century because his humanistic, atheistic, if pessimistic views chimed with a new secularism that was emerging from a Western society dominated by religion. Despite his rather forbidding image (and a few outdated views), he is one of the most approachable German philosophers, and this is certainly evident in these two key works, The Wisdom of Life and Counsels and Maxims.
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5 out of 5 stars
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depressingly hopeful
- By Sebastian huerta on 06-22-17
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The Greek Way
- By: Edith Hamilton
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 314
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 253
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 250
Based on a thorough study of Greek life and civilization, of Greek literature, philosophy, and art, The Greek Way interprets their meaning and brings a realization of the refuge and strength the past can be to us in the troubled present. Miss Hamilton's book must take its place with the few interpretative volumes which are permanently rooted and profoundly alive in our literature.
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3 out of 5 stars
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...Not as Good as The Echo of Greece
- By The Masked Reviewer on 11-04-16
By: Edith Hamilton
What listeners say about The Allegory of the Cave
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Aaron
- 08-09-20
Plato made uninteresting
Very poor reading, some stuttering & coughing. Wish I could get a refund of this.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kevin D.
- 03-02-24
A Deep Reflection!
"The Allegory of the Cave" by Plato is a philosophical work that presents a powerful metaphor to explore the nature of reality and the human condition. In this allegory, Plato uses the image of prisoners chained inside a cave, facing a wall and unable to turn their heads. They can only see the shadows cast by objects behind them, which they perceive as reality. However, when one prisoner is freed and exposed to the outside world, he realizes that the shadows were mere illusions and that there is a greater truth beyond the cave.
Through this allegory, Plato suggests that the material world we perceive with our senses is a mere reflection of a higher reality, and true knowledge can only be attained through philosophical inquiry and the pursuit of wisdom. "The Allegory of the Cave" provokes deep reflection on the nature of perception, knowledge, and the journey towards enlightenment.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Bryan H.
- 03-16-20
Not a fan of the narrator.
I struggled with the narrator's tone and pace. Not to mention, the clear cough (clearing of his throat) early into the story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
- MD
- 03-05-20
I couldn't get past the first minutes
I'm really interested in the story but the narration was choppy and irritating. I'm returning it and finding another version or reading it myself.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Francisco gonzalez
- 12-30-22
Terrible narration
Poor narration quality. The voice author kept making mistakes. I would not recommend this title
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