Arthur Herman has now written the definitive sequel to his New York Times bestseller; How the Scots Invented the Modern World; and extends the themes of the book—which sold half a million copies worldwide—back to the ancient Greeks and forward to the age of the Internet. The Cave and the Light 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.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews “Examining mathematics; politics; theology; and architecture; the book demonstrates the continuing relevance of the ancient world.â€â€”Publishers Weekly “A fabulous way to understand over two millennia of history; all in one book.â€â€”Library Journal “Entertaining and often illuminating.â€â€”The Wall Street JournalFrom the Hardcover edition.
#377884 in Books 2010-10-01 2010-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .86 x 5.31l; .74 #File Name: 0547386443352 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Hungry. So Very Hungry (revised)By J. HundleyI wrote my original review in haste and sold this terrific book rather short (though not the 5-star rating). So I'm amending below the original; short one.Thankfully; I live in one of those cities that still has a handful of good; and a couple of great; delis left. Because it only took me about 20 pages to be overcome by the physical need (NEED; I say) for pastrami. Real pastrami.This book will do it to you. Goodness; how I love it.NEW:All of that still stands; but this is really a lot more than just an ode to delis. It is also a wonderful history of delicatessens and their place in both Jewish and the larger culture. Sax makes some very serious and real connections between the state of the deli and it place in Jewish life and culture. As a goyem; I can only comment from outside; but having cooked at Fox Deli in Indianapolis for several years in the early 1980s; I was privileged to see the place of a great deli )okay; pretty good) deli in a neighborhood and a community. I learned a lot and picked up some great jokes; too. One of the things I learned was an ongoing and continuing love of kosher and kosher-style deli foods. (Here in Chicago; Manny's is what I imagine heaven is imagined to be for people who believe in heaven.)But I also became aware of how a deli can be a meeting place; unofficial cultural center and melting pot. Sax takes that and turns it into a tribute and elegy here. So while just looking at the cover does make me hungry; there is a lot more here than a travelogue and dining guide. Very much recommended.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Eat this Book!By TravellingCariThis book went from wonderfully engaging to dragging slightly to a powerful close; and it was especially poignant in timing as Carnegie Deli announced their closing as I was mid book. I really enjoyed as Sax traced the Jewish diaspora within America through its delis before returning to its roots in Western and finally Eastern Europe. The deli as somewhat of a gentrification marker in the American midwest was interesting and unexpected to this reader.I found that Sax's writing brought the food to life and made the dishes he sampled as much of characters as the deli men he interviewed. I'm not a big deli eater; but I had a craving for noodle kugel; challah; lox and more.I think the only reason the Canadian deli traditions didn't interest me as much as I'm not that interested in their food scenes. I had a stronger tie to other cities and I think that's why I enjoyed them more. If I didn't know the deli; I often knew the neighborhood. In the case of Stage and Carnegie; I walked past them daily en route to and from work. In addition to the iconic Carnegie; closing at the end of 2016; Jimmy and Drew's in Boulder has also closed since his research trip. Delis truly are dying off. Made me even more grateful for the rebirth of the 2nd Avenue deli and I'm glad both NYC locations are still thriving to this day.Poland; and the literal death of Jewish culinary traditions in the holocaust was a perfect ending to the original research. How many recipes and deli men had died off in that; the world's largest Jewish cemetery. I wonder where the delis would be today with those six million alive. I can only hope that the resurgence in some midwest cities; as well as Ben's and Katz's here; will keep the tradition alive for another generation.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Jewish Food Lives; if not only in CABy Mark BartnikDavid Sax took the time to do Jewish heritage and culture a favor by writing this book. He spent several months touring North America and parts of Europe and Britain to review delicatessen food. Jewish culture is fading away with the dispersion of the concentrated Jewish communities. The 2nd; third and fourth generations are not keeping the deli's open and are not learning the techniques of cooking the food. The only real place that David found a lively Jewish delicatessen following is in California.Perhaps with this book as a guide to the traveler; the lover of the Jewish cuisine will follow David's footsteps and take a similar trip or follow the Save the Deli site to seek out the spots highlighted in the book. I have worked in Jewish delicatessens here in Detroit and love to take a trip to Southfield MI to visit my favorite deli's. Around the corner in Troy there are a couple of delicatessens that I cater to in order to get a corned beef sandwich. I would like to see some of the other food items on the menu; i.e. Rugelach.This book may help the deli owner to understand the value of the cuisine and see what other deli owners are faced with in order to save their business. Again; the local deli has the same issue; over priced beef in order to make pastrami just right and a clientele that is not willing to buy a $12 sandwich. This book may inspire the deli owner to take a look at each other and unite in the fight to save the market.A good quick read and you can salivate all the way.Mark
