Allegory of the Cave

By: Plato

Narrated by: Deaver Brown

Length: 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Experience this live lecture at Harvard, with the sounds not dubbed out and changed. Hear the lecturer stop, pause, turn pages, and experience an authentic lecture. The author points out how little is actually known about the ancient Greek language used by Plato to write The Allegory of the Cave. No one knows the exact pronunciation of names, places, or other such things, which leaves more to the imagination, which can be both inspiring and frustrating. Note: Insert after paragraph three: This lecture has 11 tracks. 1. Introduction. 2. Plato and His Life. 3. The Republic. 4. The Translator: Benjamin Jowett. 5. Reading of Allegory of the Cave, Book VII. 6. Simply Notes. 7. Platonic Idealism and Realism. 8. Universals. 9. Particulars. 10. Criticism. 11. Questions for Discussions & Subjects for Essays.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave is what many believe to be the foundation of Western Philosophy. It addresses what is visible and invisible, seen and observed versus intuited and imagined, and what is public versus private and just versus unjust. It also concerns the meaning and importance of education, the state of the soul, the conflict between truth and beauty, animal urges versus higher aspirations, knowledge versus ignorance, and on and on.

With this audiobook, you will hear the original Allegory of the Cave and much more in less than 60 minutes. To improve your understanding of Plato's allegory, we have included original commentary surrounding this subject. This information is intended to give you a fuller understanding of the allegory.

Fewer people than you may think have read or even heard of the Allegory of the Cave. Fewer still have read or heard of Plato's The Republic. If you're seeking to boost your performance in school, or if you're just curious, this audio program will put you ahead of the class!

© and (P) Christina Brown

A story that delineates the concept of thought.

Socrates, as described by Plato, tells us in this simple story what it means to be ignorant. He then shows that there is a choice we can make, all people can make, to be less ignorant.

Reader needs to develop enunciation skills.

Does "review this title" include reviewing the narrator?

Although I am a fan of philosophy, I am not a big fan of this narrator. He does not enunciate, pronouncing "Washington" as "Washnun" and when he read "world" I thought he said "oral". Furthermore, he pronounces Plato's brother's name (Glaucon) as if it's a French name. And while we may not know precisely the pronunciation of "Glaucon", I'm fairly certain it shouldn't sound as though it's French. Perhaps, if you're reading this review, you think I'm being petty; but if you're reading a book that you have paid for, you might expect the reader to be professional when it comes to pronunciation and enunciation. Deaver Brown, the reader, sounds as though he might be better suited to sports announcing. I don't wish to be insulting, he has impressive academic and business credentials. I just believe he is probably better suited to his "day job".

That being said, if you are a fan of philosophy, you will likely enjoy this short read. If nothing else, it has caused me to want to read the rest of "The Republic"; however, I believe I will use my eyes for that project, not my ears.

Thanks for being direct.

This is an easy breakdown of Plato basics. The quick over view of the Republic & other related information gave the easy overview I was looking for. I would like the author to record the answers to the questions posed. Hi

A Poor Portrayal of a Classic Text

He spent more than half the time talking and then read with a monotone voice.

Can't argue with content - only presentation

Mr. Brown's reading leaves me wanting some polish on the piece. He stops midway through sentences, swallows simple words like "Washington" and sounds like he is literally picked by a teacher and reading this for the first time out loud in class.

Can't argue with the 2800 year old classic content though.

solid and reliable

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

worth my time since the reader gave a context with which to place this classic work.

Would you be willing to try another book from Plato? Why or why not?

of course. philosophy starts with plato and it's smart to know foundational material.

What three words best describe Deaver Brown’s voice?

deep, clear, and well-paced.

Performance is meh, but the story is still there.

If you could sum up Allegory of the Cave in three words, what would they be?

Great thoughts on reality

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Deaver Brown?

Lol

Any additional comments?

I see a lot of complaints about the narrator so be warned - don't listen for the narration, listen for the story.

Concise and Informative

Loved it. the mix between text, lecture, and inquiry opened up the material for me.

Left me with a desire for more.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator is not very engaging, but the allegory pulls its own weight. If you like the allegory as much as I do, than you can deal with the narration.

An awakening of the mind

loved it! I could not stop reading and re-reading it. I now want my high schoolers to read it so, we can have intellectual conversations.