The Cave and the Light

The Cave and the Light
Author :
Publisher : Random House
Total Pages : 933
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780553907834
ISBN-13 : 0553907832
Rating : 4/5 (832 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Cave and the Light by : Arthur Herman

Download or read book The Cave and the Light written by Arthur Herman and published by Random House. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 933 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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


The Cave and the Light Related Books

The Cave and the Light
Language: en
Pages: 933
Authors: Arthur Herman
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-10-22 - Publisher: Random House

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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 anci
Light Up the Cave
Language: en
Pages: 314
Authors: Denise Levertov
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 1981 - Publisher: New Directions Publishing

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume of fiction and essays includes three short stories, articles on the craft of poetry focusing on the musical function of the line, and a discussion o
The Allegory of the Cave
Language: en
Pages: 10
Authors: Plato
Categories: Philosophy
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-01-08 - Publisher: Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Allegory of the Cave, or Plato's Cave, was presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic (514a–520a) to compare "the effect of education (
The Cave
Language: en
Pages: 323
Authors: José Saramago
Categories: Fiction
Type: BOOK - Published: 2003-10-15 - Publisher: HMH

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An unassuming family struggles to keep up with the ruthless pace of progress in “a genuinely brilliant novel” from a Nobel Prize winner (Chicago Tribune). A
Out of the Cave
Language: en
Pages: 266
Authors: Chris Hodges
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-05-25 - Publisher: Thomas Nelson

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Do you feel guilt and shame about negative thoughts and emotions and your inability to overcome them? Bestselling author and pastor Chris Hodges helps those str