I enjoyed the book, my only drawback was I felt I was not sufficiently schooled in the background to the subject. I did manage to glean some knowledge from the reading

Arthur Herman's book, <em>The Cave and the Light</em>, is an ambitious book of philosophy, history, sociology, rhetoric, and politics.

The general idea behind this Pulitzer Prize Finalist book is that all of Western Civilization's philosophy (and by extension, society and politics) comes back to the ideas put forth by Aristotle and Plato. And at the same time, that there is still much to be learned from these early philosophers.

Herman hits the significant periods of Western thought, including the rise of Christianity, Machiavelli, the Renaissance, the Reformation, Darwin, and through the World Wars, and he examines the prevalent thought at the time and how it follows either one (or both) of the classic philosophers.

The journey here that Herman takes us through is extraordinary. Each period is examined very thoroughly and the 'modern' (to the period) or working thought of the time is dissected and compared to the ancient Greek thought. This is no easy feat, of course, but Herman weaves the narrative convincingly ... on the surface.

But on deeper inspection we have to wonder at some of the connections that Herman has made. It would seem that in every significant age, the leading thinkers of the time - whether philosophers or political leaders - spent a fair amount of time thinking about how Aristotle or Plato influenced them. And while I would agree that the teachings of Aristotle and Plato still have a connection to modern man, I'm not convinced that it's as intricate as Herman connects it.

I enjoyed the early chapters, particularly those that focused on the master and his pupil and their disagreements and their core common beliefs. But oddly enough, with each generation, I enjoyed it less and less, so the closer it got to times that were familiar to me, the less I bought in to the premise.

It seems to be a fairly common practice to write non-fiction, history books with strong fiction attributes. We put words into people's' mouths that we have no idea of they were ever really spoken, but base it on 'likely conversations' and that's just as much the case here. It can be effective, and it was early on, but the more real the history became, the less real Herman's take became for me.

I'd recommend this book up through the age of the Romantics, perhaps through the Victorian era, but not much beyond that.

Looking for a good book? The Cave and the Light by Arthur Herman is a history of philosophy, specifically the Aristotle and Plato philosophies and how they might have continued to influence modern through the ages, into today. It's a lot of speculation, interestingly told.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading about philosophy. Growing up in quite an intellectual middle-class family in Europe, there was a lot of attention on developing opinions and understanding how European culture had developed. But still, there is a lot that I don't know and I have always looked for a book that would bring different strands of philosophy and history together in an understandable way. That book is The Cave and the Light and it's been an amazing read. Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In The Cave and the Light, Herman lays out his argument for how Plato and Aristotle have influenced Western civilization, as well as the consistent debate about the human soul. What has always fascinated me is how philosophy is both very abstract and far away of daily life, yet also suffuses our daily life. One of my favourite Disney songs starts with a Nietzsche maxim, for example. Many of the thoughts which were so revolutionary and groundbreaking decades and centuries ago are now everyday common sense, and so it's almost shocking to find out just where these thoughts and assumptions originate. And sometimes finding out just where they come from can change how you feel about those thoughts as well. A philosopher who is both brilliant and deeply misogynistic, a philosophy that seemingly leads to freedom only to end up in tyranny. How do you reconcile yourself to a thought process that requires bloodshed? Reading philosophy, discussing it, broadens your mind in a way that is fascinating, and tracking the debate around the soul and purpose of humanity in The Cave and the Light is fascinating.

Herman seems to favour Aristotle's reason and liberty over Plato's mysticism, as do I, but he never lets his own preference override his narrative. From each corner we got both the most inspired of artists and the worst of crimes. Plato gave us the Romantics and their sublime poetry, but also Goebbels' 'big lie' and and Robespierre's terror. Aristotle inspired major advances in science from Archimedes' inventions to the industrial revolution, but also led us to the atomic bomb. Herman prevents his journey through Western civilization from becoming boring or tedious by infusing it with humour and fascinating insights. Socrates' death, Archimedes' inventions, von Humboldt's journeys through South-America, all of these are described beautifully, bringing these figures from the past to life. Despite being long, almost 700 pages, The Cave and the Light never feels like a chore. As such, it would make for a perfect addition to any philosophy syllabus.

In a final chapter, Herman takes a look at the West now, highlighting three key events that may shake Aristotle's hold over us. 9/11, the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the economic crash of 2008; each has left a fundamental mark on Western culture and has raised a whole new range of debates about where it is we are heading. Capitalism and consumerism is being criticised again, especially in relation to the younger (my) generation, while many young people feel a strong disconnect. The falling down or fading away of many "pillars" from our past, such as Christianity and many other traditions, has left a bit of a hole in our soul. Herman suggests a change back to Plato's mysticism, to a new connectedness with the spiritual and the natural, may be coming. As I said, this book is a great read, captivating and engaging, laying bare the connections between people and thoughts across centuries. Herman is the kind of academic writer who manages to infuse his own enthusiasm into his writing and thereby into his reader, inspiring them to go beyond his own writing and do their own research.

Although philosophy isn't for everyone, The Cave and the Light is a key text to understanding how the Western world came to be shaped, why we think of things the way we do and where we might be heading. Herman takes the reader through our history in a way that never feels dull. For those interested in philosophy and Western culture, Herman's book is a must-read.