In his The Cave and The Light, Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Herman demonstrates the duality of the western soul and traces its roots back to the ancient philosopher Socrates. [ISBN 978-0-553-38566-3]
The title refers to an example Socrates gave his Athenian students, wherein most of humanity is in a cave watching a shadow play on one of the walls. But, they do not fully grasp what they are watching, much less the scheme used to produce it or the source of the light that makes it possible.
He argued a true philosopher seeks to discover such things about the world around us.
But, he also warned his students that the audience back in the cave is not always receptive to the message.
Over the 24 centuries since his time, two schools of thought have emerged. One was founded by his student Plato, which undergirds the modern argument for intelligent design. Through reasoning, it concludes this world is governed by a divine power.
The other was founded by Plato's student Aristotle, which casts doubt on such an inspired origin to the universe. It relies on clinical observations of the material world, scientific methods.
Herman goes on to explain that both schools of thought have led western civilization both to great heights and to great depths: the Renaissance to the fascism, the Great Awakening to eugenics.
Thus, through nearly 700 pages, perhaps the greatest takeaway is that any philosophy can be carried to an extreme.
But, I'll still cast my lot with Plato.
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