The Cave and the Light

Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization

De: Arthur Herman

Narrado por: Paul Hecht

The Cave and the Light reveals how two Greek philosophers became the twin fountainheads of Western culture, and how their rivalry gave Western civilization its unique dynamism down to the present.

©2013 Arthur Herman (P)2013 Recorded Books

Great high-level review of the history of ideas

I love this book and it’s high-level summary of ideas since pre-Socratic Greece. The only annoying part: the chapters are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. when clearly they had titles as the narrator read them. Not sure why companies are so lazy that they can’t bother to make those titles the ones in the audible file it would make searching and review much easier.

great overview of the history of philosophy

this book is easy to listen to and I enjoyed having the Plato/Aristotle thread weaved throughout the entire book since it gave it a central theme and storyline. however, I do think it was forced in a places especially as you get to more recent thinkers.

as a Christian who supports capitalism I really enjoyed the last chapter where the author gives his conclusions. however I do think that people who do not share my view will enjoy the rest of the book, which is mostly objective in its explanation of major thinkers throughout history.

Great Storytelling for a Work of Philosophy

I thought this would be an introduction to the works of Plato and Aristotle, but as it turns out, it’s much more. The book traces their ideas through history as they dodge and weave throughout the most important movements of history.

The first 2/3rds of the book were clear-cut and easy. After the Enlightenment, the ideas become harder to trace, and more challenging to follow the quick changes between people and ideas. I think the post enlightenment section could use an entire volume to expand some of the ideas further.

The performance aspect is great. There’s enough interest in the voice to keep engaged with the material. He does make a few mistakes and mispronunciations along the way, but I’d rather have that than boring.

Masterwork of Historical Philosophy

Although the length of time it took to listen to this book was over 23 hours… I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. From the content to the magnificent narrations, this is a Masterwork of historical philosophy

Exhilarating overview of philosophical history

The ultimate compliment I can provide is that I now want to read more philosophy! Hermann wonderfully ties together the two great Greeks to a ship sailing through history.

Great Breath and Depth

great narrator...worth listening. better to take notes..hard to remember all the swirls of this and that....

Condensing a long wonderful history

This book is mainly a solid introduction to the greatest western minds in philosophy that start in Ancient Greece.

The beginnings of the history told in this book are the most potent and based. The author takes care to humanize Socrates and Plato without making light of their significance.

As the book progresses though it is clear to me that the author cares more for politics (modern and historical) than the philosophy that the people in this book hold. The book turned out to be more about how the philosophers of western history were seen and influenced politics than the meat of their philosophy. If that’s the sort of book you are into then this is up your alley but I often saw this as a detour into the author’s own political biases than something worth considering.

The inclusion of Ayn Rand was wild and really took me by surprise since she feels like a punchline nowadays in comparison to Kant or Aristotle which were also featured in this book. Ayn Rand popping up at the final chapter made this book feel like cheap capitalist propaganda.

Wow it is the linchpin I was afraid not exist

Arthur Herman is erudite, opinionated, and courageous. The result is the book. Being a student of history , philosophy and science, I wished to come across a book like this.

Hecht’s narration is perfect! It is an A

Amazing book and wonderful reader

This book has changed my perspective about our modern world. Filled with ancient wisdom, the author lets the reader in on the origins of many if our modern problems, and offers us a perspective from which we can make better choices based on reason rather than feeling.

The intellectual trail always leads back to Plato and Aristotle

But what is the correct balance and why? This book is an excellent summation of both philosophers and the intellectual ends their ideologies have led to in the past. Excellent read.