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 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.

Explains the totality of the Western Soul

Wow. This book made me realize how small and mortal we humans really are, in that even Plato and Aristotle were both only half right, and how man throughout history is at best only half right in solving problems and governing, and worse how a half right solution leads to destruction when pushed to its conclusion. It also shows the tension between sensors (Aristotle) and introspectives (Plato), which gave me a new respect for America's "mixed regime." This book leaves me knowing that I don't know, that I don't know anything, and I think Socrates would approve. Excellent, excellent book. You will be expanded.

really great listen

what a great listen. opened my eyes to different thought pattern. the book sheds light on the implication of Plato and Aristotle. I honestly think once you read this religion falls off a bit.

This is a must!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Cave and the Light to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed this book so much that I am already considering listening to it again. I finished it a day ago!

Who was your favorite character and why?

There is no specific characters but the discussion and interpretation of philosophy is amazing.

Which character – as performed by Paul Hecht – was your favorite?

Not applicable

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire book was awesome!

Any additional comments?

This is an amazing work! The detail of each phase of history as it pertains to Aristotle and Plato is exceptional! The author did a great job and the narrator is perfect in his eloquence! I highly recommend this book above all others as a historic view of Aristotle and Plato and their influence on the history of all civilization as we know it.