Beware the True Believers

I may regret this hasty review, since I am only halfway through the book. But considering the enthusiastic review preceding (by which I was lured), I felt others should be warned. There is nothing wrong with this heartfelt, humane view of Plato, provided you are studying for a Jesuit ministry.

Christianity has been described as Plato for the masses, and in this lecture series Platonism is massively proto-Catholic. The strangeness of Greek thought is entirely sanitized. There is almost nothing about Plato's relationship to the Pythagoreans, the so-called pre-Socratics, the Sophists, the mystery cults, or the dramatists. Little about Whitehead or the Platonic strain in modern mathematics and physics. Indeed, little of what I would call philosophy.

The heroes of the story are Augustine, Saint Paul, C.S. Lewis, et al., the implied villains are the "modern" skeptics, relativists, reductionists, empiricist, nihilists, etc., who are dismissed with avuncular appeals to common sense and humanity. Behind the alluring humanism is deeply conservative, intolerant agenda, in my view. Buckley, Gingrich, Scalia, and the Straussians, would be on familiar intellectual terrain here.

Still, this is in some ways, a perfectly good introduction to the conservative, Christian line of Plato interpretation. I do not mean to sneer. But sometimes true believers are not the best teachers. Jaspers notwithstanding, Christ, Buddha, and Socrates had less in common than many seekers of inner stability would like to believe.

15 people found this helpful

Excellent introduction!

Would you listen to The Platonic Tradition again? Why?

This is a clear, insightful and sometimes even inspiring presentation of the Platonic tradition. I would certainly recommend listening to this lecture series. I listened to these lectures twiice and plan to listen again. However, please be aware that Professor Kreeft is a conservative Roman Catholic. Augustine as well as Socrates and Plato are the heroes here. There is no focus on Plato's Pythagorianism, sacred geometry, or the Platonic solids; not a word about Iamblichus or Proclus or Ficino. Having said that, Professor Kreeft does make a compelling case against the anti-Platonic view (both in ancient times and in modern times), a view stating there is no objective truth and even if there were an objective truth we couldn't know it or communicate it to others. Thank you, Professor Kreeft!

10 people found this helpful

intellectual dynamite

There are great philosophers and then there are great teachers of philosophy. Kreeft is the latter. He is a great teacher, and this is a prime example of it. He makes a very compelling case for the Platonic Tradition and it's centrality, not just as a given of Western culture, but as THE correct approach to truth. Kreeft, taking up Whitehead's oft-quoted aphorism about all Western philosophy being a footnote to Plato, demonstrates why this is so. He demonstrates how most of the rest of ancient and medieval philosophy has been an attempt to add to and/or incorporate Plato into a larger milieu. He also demonstrates how all modern philosophy, beginning with Occam (pre-Descartes even) until today consists of various attempts to subtract from Plato with disastrous results. I found it so utterly convincing that, once I had finished, I restarted it. To me it was that good.

If you decide you cannot agree with Kreeft's view point, you would still benefit greatly from arguing with his case.

The one downside is that Recorded books has not provided a guidebook and their website does not even have the course listed, which means no final exam. That's sad.

10 people found this helpful

Great overview of Plato and later philosophers

Would you consider the audio edition of The Platonic Tradition to be better than the print version?

The audio version worked for me because I could listen to it in the car while driving.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Platonic Tradition?

I thought this was a great book, but then again I have read several of Peter Kreeft's books and they are all great. I can honestly say that no author has had a greater impact on my thinking than Professor Kreeft.

This book gives a great overview of Plato, and it also touches on Socrates and Aristotle. It explains Plato's philosophy and how he was influenced by Socrates, who was his mentor. The book goes on to discuss how other ancient philosophers, including Jesus, had similarities to Plato. Kreeft shows how Christianity is both faithful and reasonable, and how Plato's philosophy fits into it.

He also discusses later philosophers, many of whom have positions that are not consistent with Plato. I think Kreeft lays out a strong case for the truth of much of ancient Greek philosophy, and how it is one of the pillars of Western Civilization.

Any additional comments?

If you are interested in philosophy or theology, or even current affairs, you will find this to be an interesting and enjoyable book.

7 people found this helpful

A wonderful listen

Where does The Platonic Tradition rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a great lecture series if you're looking for a solid foundation in (not necessarily the details of Platonism itself, but rather) why Plato matters, and his influence on later philosophical thought.

Any additional comments?

For those who don't know, Peter Kreeft is a Christian philosopher and so he has a very positive view of the Platonic tradition, and devotes a significant amount of time to the Christian "baptism" of Platonism and its synthesis with Aristotelianism. I would still recommend that you give him an earnest listen, though, because he is very thoughtful.

3 people found this helpful

Maybee the best of Peter Kreeft's audio books!

Maybe the best of Peter Kreeft's audio books I ever listened to. A clear and thorough review of how the fundamental intuitions of Plato were slowly lost and denied by subsequent thinkers, as society became more complex and enamored the domination of nature and technology (practical reductionism).

3 people found this helpful

listen and learn

If only others taught as well, just absorb as much as you can. IMHO: Afterwards others seem swallow.
Why isn't there a written version?

3 people found this helpful

This will change your life!

This makes you want to step out of the cave of shadow and into the light! Not too difficult to follow either. As usual Kreeft is witty, clear and profound in this course.

3 people found this helpful

Beautiful!! Thanks

Really enjoyed this and would recommend it. Will definitely be listening to his other work, thank you very much Mr. Kreeft.

2 people found this helpful

Excellent content and delivery

Thank you prof. Kreeft for these lectures. I recommend them to everyone interested in philosophy. What I appreciated most was the value judgement from the Christian point of view on different philosophical schools and trends.

1 person found this helpful