Rescuing Socrates
How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation
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Narrated by:
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Roosevelt Montás
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By:
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Roosevelt Montás
About this listen
This audiobook narrated by Dominican-born scholar Roosevelt Montás tells the story of how the Great Books transformed his life - and why they have the power to speak to people of all backgrounds.
What is the value of a liberal education? Traditionally characterized by a rigorous engagement with the classics of Western thought and literature, this approach to education is all but extinct in American universities, replaced by flexible distribution requirements and ever-narrower academic specialization. Many academics attack the very idea of a Western canon as chauvinistic, while the general public increasingly doubts the value of the humanities. In Rescuing Socrates, Dominican-born American academic Roosevelt Montás tells the story of how a liberal education transformed his life, and offers an intimate account of the relevance of the Great Books today, especially to members of historically marginalized communities.
Montás emigrated from the Dominican Republic to Queens, New York, when he was 12 and encountered the Western classics as an undergraduate in Columbia University’s renowned Core Curriculum, one of America’s last remaining Great Books programs. The experience changed his life and determined his career - he went on to earn a PhD in English and comparative literature, serve as director of Columbia’s Center for the Core Curriculum, and start a Great Books program for low-income high school students who aspire to be the first in their families to attend college.
Weaving together memoir and literary reflection, Rescuing Socrates describes how four authors - Plato, Augustine, Freud, and Gandhi - had a profound impact on Montás’s life. In doing so, the book drives home what it’s like to experience a liberal education - and why it can still remake lives.
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Critic reviews
"Roosevelt Montás has written an absorbing and perceptive book about how he, an immigrant from a rural town in the Dominican Republic, came to New York and was engaged and transformed by reading great books. His vibrant account is an autobiography of learning. It should be read by anyone interested in reading and big ideas." (Mitchell Cohen, author of The Politics of Opera: A History from Monteverdi to Mozart)
“In Rescuing Socrates, Roosevelt Montás tells his story of moving as a lost, lonely 12-year-old from the Dominican Republic to New York, then eventually finding himself by studying Aristotle, Augustine, Plato, and many others in the Core Curriculum at Columbia University. Montás takes the reader on an inspiring journey where we come to realize how the power of these texts helped a young immigrant and man of color recreate his heritage and a sense of identity in a foreign land.” (Anika T. Prather, founder of The Living Water School)
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A provocative and positive response to Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and other New Atheists, Good Without God makes a bold claim for what nonbelievers do share and believe. Epstein's Good Without God provides a constructive, challenging response to these manifestos by getting to the heart of Humanism and its positive belief in tolerance, community, morality, and good without having to rely on the guidance of a higher being.
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Speaker sounds too robotic
- By Lisa S. on 08-27-21
By: Greg Epstein
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The Monk and the Philosopher
- A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life
- By: Jean-Francois Revel
- Narrated by: David Shaw-Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty-seven years ago, Matthieu Ricard gave up a promising career as a scientist to study Tibetan Buddhism - not as a detached observer but by immersing himself in its practice under the guidance of its greatest living masters. Years later, this project was born, and Richard met with his father, Jean-Francois Revel - a French philosopher who became world famous for his challenges to both Communism and Christianity. At an inn, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history.
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The dialogues themselves proved tranquility is attainable.
- By Mingster on 05-16-19
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How to Save the West
- Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises
- By: Spencer Klavan
- Narrated by: Spencer Klavan
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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It has been proclaimed many times, but perhaps never more convincingly than now, when every news cycle seems to deliver further confirmation of a world gone mad. Is this the endgame? Author Spencer Klavan is a classicist, with a Ph.D. from Oxford, and a deep understanding of the West. His analysis: The situation is dire. But every crisis we face today, we have faced before. And we can surmount each one. Klavan brings to the West’s defense the insights of Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, and the Founding Fathers to show that in the wisdom of the past lies hope for the future.
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Spectacular! A must read!
- By M.A. on 02-15-23
By: Spencer Klavan
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Irrationality
- A History of the Dark Side of Reason
- By: Justin E. H. Smith
- Narrated by: Jeff Harding
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Discovering that reason is the defining feature of our species, we named ourselves the “rational animal”. But is this flattering story itself rational? In this sweeping account of irrationality from antiquity to today - from the fifth-century BC murder of Hippasus for revealing the existence of irrational numbers to the rise of Twitter mobs and the election of Donald Trump - Justin Smith says the evidence suggests the opposite.
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A good brain workout
- By ThomasC on 04-09-19
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Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the classic introduction to the thought of Carl Jung. Along with Freud and Adler, Jung was one of the chief founders of modern psychiatry. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology: dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion.
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Could have almost been an automated text reader
- By Chicken Love on 04-24-15
By: Carl Jung
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The History of Philosophy
- By: A. C. Grayling
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 28 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of philosophy is an epic tale, spanning civilizations and continents. It explores some of the most creative minds in history. But not since the long-popular classic by Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, published in 1945, has there been a comprehensive and entertaining single-volume history of this great, intellectual, world-shaping journey.
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A much needed update to Bertrand Russell's classic
- By Michael on 06-27-20
By: A. C. Grayling
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The Second Mountain
- How People Move from the Prison of Self to the Joy of Commitment
- By: David Brooks
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Author David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose.
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Pursue meaning, reject hyper-individualism
- By Adam Shields on 05-07-19
By: David Brooks
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Irrational Man
- A Study in Existential Philosophy
- By: William Barrett
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Widely recognized as the finest definition of existentialist philosophy ever written, this book introduced existentialism to America in 1958. Irrational Man begins by discussing the roots of existentialism in the art and thinking of Augustine, Aquinas, Pascal, Baudelaire, Blake, Dostoevski, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Picasso, Joyce, and Beckett. The heart of the book explains the views of the foremost existentialists - Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. The result is a marvelously lucid definition of existentialism and a brilliant interpretation of its impact.
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heady
- By A. Antine on 07-28-22
By: William Barrett
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Speaking of Faith
- By: Krista Tippett
- Narrated by: Krista Tippett
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In this illuminating story of her life and conversations, the host of public radio's Speaking of Faith describes her journey of spiritual exploration - a journey shared by countless others.
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Clarity of Faith
- By Charles on 06-01-07
By: Krista Tippett
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The Story of Philosophy
- The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
- By: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 19 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Durant lucidly describes the philosophical systems of such world-famous “monarchs of the mind” as Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Kant, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. Along with their ideas, he offers their flesh-and-blood biographies, placing their thoughts within their own time and place and elucidating their influence on our modern intellectual heritage. This book is packed with wisdom and wit.
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Fantastic and insightful book
- By ESK on 01-25-13
By: Will Durant
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The Courage to Create
- By: Rollo May
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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What if imagination and art are not, as many of us might think, the frosting on life but the fountainhead of human experience? What if our logic and science derive from art forms rather than the other way around? In this trenchant volume, Rollo May helps all of us find those creative impulses that, once liberated, offer new possibilities for achievement. A renowned therapist and inspiring guide, Dr. May draws on his experience to show how we can break out of old patterns in our lives.
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May takes on the Creative Act
- By Lowball on 01-16-19
By: Rollo May
What listeners say about Rescuing Socrates
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gian Pagnucci
- 04-26-23
Fantastic Book
Offers much to consider about the value of teaching a common great books core, powerfully embedded in a moving personal story.
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- John
- 12-22-21
A Powerful Memoir and Manifesto to Great Books
Dr. Montas does a wonderful job of sharing his personal story with the Great Books and how the writing of four geniuses(Socrates, Augustine, Freud and Ghandi) directly impacted his life. It’s an excellent intro and guide to anyone curious about the Great Books/Liberal Education and the promise it holds to change lives. The newest student and most veteran reader can benefit from this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Nom de Guerre
- 01-24-22
Excellent defense of a crucial part of education
I am a survivor of another core program, a professor, and a child of a Columbia art hum instructor. This book is a beautiful discourse on the value of learning the core, and of college as more than vocational training. my closest friends from college became doctors and engineers, but the ones who took core classes have been most successful and most flexible in their thought.
I recommend Fareed Zakaria's In Defense of a Liberal Education to anyone looking to learn more.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-30-21
Simply wonderful and moving book
Rescuing Socrates is a delightful book - a mix of a compelling personal memoir, insightful reflections on some of history’s greatest writers, and advocacy for the type of education that transformed the author’s life. The book’s four chapters are loosely tied to four thinkers (Augustine, Socrates, Freud, and Gandhi) and Montas really goes four-for-four; each chapter is excellent in its own right. I love when personal books are narrated by the author and this is no exception. Strongly recommend this audiobook for anyone who is interested in education and teaching, the immigrant experience, and/or great books. Bravo!!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sil A.
- 12-08-22
Powerful testimonial
Professor Montás’ journey to academia was an unlikely one. A twelve year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, living with a single mom who made minimum wages, Montás discovered the liberal arts almost by accident, though it seemed meant to be. In this book, which combines his personal testimonial with powerful summaries of the work of his four favorite thinkers, Professor Montás defends the need for a liberal arts based education for all, as he describes the Columbia University Core program. I was touched by his transparency and sincere approach. Anyone interested in education, philosophy and the future of Western Civilization should enjoy this book.
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- Mike Parks
- 05-14-22
Not entirely what I expected, but still good
This book presents a good defense of liberal education. St John's hosted Roosevelt, but I was unable to attend so I decided to read the book. I guess I anticipated a little more interaction with the great books, it was more of an autobiography with the great books intertwined. He has a great story, definitely a life of perseverance.
If anything I was encouraged to pick up a couple first-hand sources along the way. I ended up reading Martin Luther's letters from Birmingham jail and a book from Freud because of this book. then I went back to this one to finish :)
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- John Zielinski
- 07-24-24
Personal and professional journey into the importance of a LA education.
It makes me want to dig into some of the books that I missed in my LA education..
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- Joanie shopen
- 03-01-23
Inspiring!
This book is both a persuasive argument for and helpful reminder of what matters most in our education. I plan on returning to this text whenever I need some inspiration as both a teacher and lifelong learner.
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- Brian Burns
- 10-21-24
An Engaging Read
Dr. Montas weaves his own personal story in and around summaries of four great thinkers in a way that makes you want to keep listening and leaves you thinking deeply. Definitely worth the listen!
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