The Dream of Reason, New Edition
A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance
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The Dream of Reason, New Edition
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Narrated by:
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Anthony Gottlieb
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By:
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Anthony Gottlieb
About this listen
Already a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages.
In The Dream of Reason, Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much of conventional wisdom, and explains his findings with unbridled brilliance and clarity. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the celebrated days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, up to Renaissance visionaries like Erasmus and Bacon, philosophy emerges here as a phenomenon unconfined by any one discipline. Indeed, as Gottlieb explains, its most revolutionary breakthroughs in the natural and social sciences have repeatedly been co-opted by other branches of knowledge, leading to the illusion that philosophers never make any progress.
From the physics of angels to Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, Gottlieb builds through example and anecdote a vivid portrait of the human drive for understanding. After finishing The Dream of Reason, listeners will be graced with a fresh appreciation of the philosophical quest, its entertaining and bizarre byways, and its influence on every aspect of life.
©2016 Anthony Gottlieb (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
Excellent and very enjoyable.
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Best Introduction to the History of Philosophy
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The trouble with the approaches that it is always reading the past from the perspective of the present, appreciating what is in it that aligns with the present and noting how it leads to the present but never understanding it in its own context and its own character. For example, how can you possibly understand Greek philosophy without a thorough relationship with the mystery centres that were scattered throughout the Greek civilisation and were the centre of learning and initiation for the entire educated class of Greeks. Those mystery centres cultivated profound concepts and someone like her colitis from the Ephesian Mystery Centre was bringing ideas toned down from what he learned there. How can you appreciate Greek philosophy without looking at the drama given the relationship between conduct in the mystery centres and the practice of philosophy?
With this book, you will get an excellent introduction to the conventional tradition of reading Greek philosophy but it will not let you really appreciate how the Greeks thought.
I do however want to give credit to the following. Gottlieb does appreciate what a towering and extraordinary figure Aristotle was and the momentous achievement of the Greeks in the transition into the modern world. The more the history of philosophy begins with entering into the puzzles, challenges and thought life of the time and the individual — rather than comparing it to current concepts — the more we can learn from the past. Unfortunately what I would recommend is not on Audible
Knowledgeable, but doesn't get the Greeks
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