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the complete review - philosophy

Plato at the Googleplex

by
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

[an overview of the reviews and critical reactions]

general information | review summaries | links | about the author

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Why we haven't reviewed it yet:
Gave it 120 pages; good idea, and some fun stuff, but just too much rehashing of the basics; better to spend the time on the real thing


Chances that we will review it:
Limited

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  From the Reviews:

• "Riffing on Plato’s own style in his philosophical writings, which are built around dialogues, Goldstein constructs these lively chapters as a series of the encounters between fictional characters as they interact with the ancient Greek philosopher. The technique wears thin at times; but Goldstein blows up the model of standard-issue philosophical treatises with her imaginative approach. (...) Part of me wishes she had dispensed with her fictional chapters, because Goldstein as Goldstein is an exhilarating guide to philosophy." - Matthew Price, Boston Globe
  
  
• "Goldstein’s resurrection of Plato actually works, which is no mean achievement. His avid Googling is slightly puzzling precisely because her character is recognizably the real thing — or rather, a plausible reconstruction of his mouthpiece, Socrates." - Anthony Gottlieb, The New York Times Book Review
  
  
• "The writing in the expository chapters of Plato at the Googleplex can get discursive, but this probably won't surprise anyone who's ever taken a college-level philosophy course. (...) But more often than not, Goldstein writes with verve and directness." - John Wilwol, San Francisco Chronicle
  
  
• "Ms. Goldstein's conceit may seem a bit contrived, but Plato's own dialogues were equally stagey, presenting Socrates in conversation, and frequently in conflict, with the figures of fifth-century Athens. Ms. Goldstein has forged something similar, hoping to cover an equal variety of subjects in an engaging manner: just government, the education of children, influence and persuasion, the unseen world of universals, the meaning of life." - Colin McGinn, Wall Street Journal
  
  
• "In Plato at the Googleplex, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein set out to showcase, in sometimes startling ways, the continuing relevance of a classic philosopher. But what’s remarkable is that she actually brings off this tour de force with both madcap brilliance and commanding authority." - Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.

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Links:

• Pantheon publicity page
• Q & A at The Atlantic

• The Atlantic
• Boston Globe
• Christian Science Monitor
• Kirkus Reviews
• Me, You, and Books
• Mismatched Bookends
• Publishers Weekly
• San Francisco Chronicle
• Slate
• Wall Street Journal
• The Washington Post

• Official site

• 36 Arguments for the Existence of God

• See Index of Philosophy books

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About the Author:

       American author Rebecca Newberger Goldstein was born in 1950.

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© 2013 the complete review

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