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Cave and the Light : Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization by Arthur Herman (2014, Trade Paperback)
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Cave and the Light : Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization, Paperback by Herman, Arthur, ISBN 0553385666, ISBN-13 9780553385663, Brand New, Free shipping in the US A history of the influential rivalry between Plato and Aristotle traces the Western world's ongoing battle of ideas to their competing philosophies, demonstrating how their contrasting views on everything from religion and government to science and technology became the twin fountainheads of Western culture.
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
ISBN-100553385666
ISBN-139780553385663
eBay Product ID (ePID)180316871
Product Key Features
Book TitleCave and the Light : Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization
Number of Pages704 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicTheology, Civilization, History & Surveys / General, History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical
Publication Year2014
IllustratorYes
GenreReligion, Philosophy, History
AuthorArthur Herman
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height1.6 in
Item Weight17.6 Oz
Item Length7.9 in
Item Width5.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
ReviewsPraise for The Cave and the Light "Sweeping . . . Examining mathematics, politics, theology, and architecture, the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world." -- Publishers Weekly "Breezy and enthusiastic but resting on a sturdy rock of research." -- Kirkus Reviews "A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history, all in one book." -- Library Journal Praise for Arthur Herman Gandhi & Churchill Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize "You finish the book knowing that you can evaluate the world today, particularly modern India, with more knowledge and insight." --USA Today "Scrupulous, compelling, and unfailingly instructive . . . a detailed and richly filigreed account that introduces the Anglo-American reader to many facts and vivid if little-known personalities, both English and Indian." -- Commentary Freedom's Forge "A rambunctious book that is itself alive with the animal spirits of the marketplace." -- The Wall Street Journal How the Scots Invented the Modern World "Professor Herman demonstrates an infectious and uplifting passion for his subject. Unlike many academics, he is a natural writer, weaving philosophical concerns seamlessly through a historical narrative that romps along at a cracking pace, producing a text that is highly accessible without compromising the rational quality of his argument." --The Guardian From the Hardcover edition., Praise for The Cave and the Light "A sweeping intellectual history viewed through two ancient Greek lenses . . . breezy and enthusiastic but resting on a sturdy rock of research." -- Kirkus Reviews "Examining mathematics, politics, theology, and architecture, the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world." -- Publishers Weekly "A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history, all in one book." -- Library Journal "Entertaining and often illuminating." -- The Wall Street Journal Praise for Arthur Herman Gandhi & Churchill Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize "You finish the book knowing that you can evaluate the world today, particularly modern India, with more knowledge and insight." --USA Today "Scrupulous, compelling, and unfailingly instructive . . . a detailed and richly filigreed account that introduces the Anglo-American reader to many facts and vivid if little-known personalities, both English and Indian." -- Commentary Freedom's Forge "A rambunctious book that is itself alive with the animal spirits of the marketplace." -- The Wall Street Journal How the Scots Invented the Modern World "Professor Herman demonstrates an infectious and uplifting passion for his subject. Unlike many academics, he is a natural writer, weaving philosophical concerns seamlessly through a historical narrative that romps along at a cracking pace, producing a text that is highly accessible without compromising the rational quality of his argument." --The Guardian, Praise for The Cave and the Light "A sweeping intellectual history viewed through two ancient Greek lenses . . . breezy and enthusiastic but resting on a sturdy rock of research." -- Kirkus Reviews "Examining mathematics, politics, theology, and architecture, the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world." -- Publishers Weekly "A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history, all in one book." -- Library Journal "Entertaining and often illuminating." -- The Wall Street Journal Praise for Arthur Herman Gandhi & Churchill Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize "You finish the book knowing that you can evaluate the world today, particularly modern India, with more knowledge and insight." --USA Today "Scrupulous, compelling, and unfailingly instructive . . . a detailed and richly filigreed account that introduces the Anglo-American reader to many facts and vivid if little-known personalities, both English and Indian." -- Commentary Freedom's Forge "A rambunctious book that is itself alive with the animal spirits of the marketplace." -- The Wall Street Journal How the Scots Invented the Modern World "Professor Herman demonstrates an infectious and uplifting passion for his subject. Unlike many academics, he is a natural writer, weaving philosophical concerns seamlessly through a historical narrative that romps along at a cracking pace, producing a text that is highly accessible without compromising the rational quality of his argument." --The Guardian From the Hardcover edition.
TitleLeadingThe
Dewey Edition22
Dewey Decimal909/.09821
SynopsisThe definitive sequel to New York Times bestseller How the Scots Invented the Modern World is a magisterial account of how the two greatest thinkers of the ancient world, Plato and Aristotle, laid the foundations of Western culture--and how their rivalry shaped the essential features of our culture down to the present day. Plato came from a wealthy, connected Athenian family and lived a comfortable upper-class lifestyle until he met an odd little man named Socrates, who showed him a new world of ideas and ideals. Socrates taught Plato that a man must use reason to attain wisdom, and that the life of a lover of wisdom, a philosopher, was the pinnacle of achievement. Plato dedicated himself to living that ideal and went on to create a school, his famed Academy, to teach others the path to enlightenment through contemplation. However, the same Academy that spread Plato's teachings also fostered his greatest rival. Born to a family of Greek physicians, Aristotle had learned early on the value of observation and hands-on experience. Rather than rely on pure contemplation, he insisted that the truest path to knowledge is through empirical discovery and exploration of the world around us. Aristotle, Plato's most brilliant pupil, thus settled on a philosophy very different from his instructor's and launched a rivalry with profound effects on Western culture. The two men disagreed on the fundamental purpose of the philosophy. For Plato, the image of the cave summed up man's destined path, emerging from the darkness of material existence to the light of a higher and more spiritual truth. Aristotle thought otherwise. Instead of rising above mundane reality, he insisted, the philosopher's job is to explain how the real world works, and how we can find our place in it. Aristotle set up a school in Athens to rival Plato's Academy: the Lyceum. The competition that ensued between the two schools, and between Plato and Aristotle, set the world on an intellectual adventure that lasted through the Middle Ages and Renaissance and that still continues today. From Martin Luther (who named Aristotle the third great enemy of true religion, after the devil and the Pope) to Karl Marx (whose utopian views rival Plato's), heroes and villains of history have been inspired and incensed by these two master philosophers--but never outside their influence. Accessible, riveting, and eloquently written, The Cave and the Light provides a stunning new perspective on the Western world, certain to open eyes and stir debate. Praise for The Cave and the Light "A sweeping intellectual history viewed through two ancient Greek lenses . . . breezy and enthusiastic but resting on a sturdy rock of research." -- Kirkus Reviews "Examining mathematics, politics, theology, and architecture, the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world." -- Publishers Weekly "A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history, all in one book." -- Library Journal "Entertaining and often illuminating." -- The Wall Street Journal, The definitive sequel to New York Times bestseller How the Scots Invented the Modern World is a magisterial account of how the two greatest thinkers of the ancient world, Plato and Aristotle, laid the foundations of Western culture-and how their rivalry shaped the essential features of our culture down to the present day. Plato came from a wealthy, connected Athenian family and lived a comfortable upper-class lifestyle until he met an odd little man named Socrates, who showed him a new world of ideas and ideals. Socrates taught Plato that a man must use reason to attain wisdom, and that the life of a lover of wisdom, a philosopher, was the pinnacle of achievement. Plato dedicated himself to living that ideal and went on to create a school, his famed Academy, to teach others the path to enlightenment through contemplation. However, the same Academy that spread Plato's teachings also fostered his greatest rival. Born to a family of Greek physicians, Aristotle had learned early on the value of observation and hands-on experience. Rather than rely on pure contemplation, he insisted that the truest path to knowledge is through empirical discovery and exploration of the world around us. Aristotle, Plato's most brilliant pupil, thus settled on a philosophy very different from his instructor's and launched a rivalry with profound effects on Western culture. The two men disagreed on the fundamental purpose of the philosophy. For Plato, the image of the cave summed up man's destined path, emerging from the darkness of material existence to the light of a higher and more spiritual truth. Aristotle thought otherwise. Instead of rising above mundane reality, he insisted, the philosopher's job is to explain how the real world works, and how we can find our place in it. Aristotle set up a school in Athens to rival Plato's Academy- the Lyceum. The competition that ensued between the two schools, and between Plato and Aristotle, set the world on an intellectual adventure that lasted through the Middle Ages and Renaissance and that still continues today. From Martin Luther (who named Aristotle the third great enemy of true religion, after the devil and the Pope) to Karl Marx (whose utopian views rival Plato's), heroes and villains of history have been inspired and incensed by these two master philosophers-but never outside their influence. Accessible, riveting, and eloquently written, The Cave and the Light provides a stunning new perspective on the Western world, certain to open eyes and stir debate. Praise for The Cave and the Light "A sweeping intellectual history viewed through two ancient Greek lenses . . . breezy and enthusiastic but resting on a sturdy rock of research." - Kirkus Reviews "Examining mathematics, politics, theology, and architecture, the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world." - Publishers Weekly "A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history, all in one book." - Library Journal "Entertaining and often illuminating." - The Wall Street Journal
LC Classification NumberCB245.H4286 2014
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Ratings and Reviews
Most relevant reviews
- Jan 29, 2023
An Astonishingly Readable Brick of a Book
I felt as if I had taken two, maybe three philosophy and history courses with a favorite professor when I finished this book. Mr. Herman writes so clearly, and with great insight and humor. Another benefit is that it’s a great “car book”. I kept it in my car and read it on lunch breaks, ferry rides, and in waiting rooms. You can put it down and pick it back up much later with no detriment.Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
- May 09, 2022
A once in a lifetime treat
One of the best books I have ever read, a tour de force of Western civilization from its roots in ancient Greek civilization right up to the modern era. It is both a history and a story of philosophy. And it is written in the most understandable and engaging style. I find myself enjoying it so much that I reward myself by savoring it in small sections so as to prolong the enjoyment. Wish I had discovered it years ago so that I could be reading it again today. It's that good.Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
- Nov 14, 2018
Great book
Every page is filled with enlightenment. Probably the best book available to read about the beginning of philosophy and how it progressed over the years. Highly recommend it.Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
- Mar 13, 2021
good
as describedVerified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
