In Plato's Cave 

by Alvin Kernan

How does a philosopher live and act in the real world? Alvin Kernan's touching memoir answers this question through sharing his experiences as student, professor, and administrator at a variety of major universities. In his telling of these experiences he also sheds light on the changes in university life over the second half of the twentieth century. I enjoyed the personal touches and the insights into the academic life that seemed to be true. I say seemed to be only because, even in a supposed non-fiction memoir like this I always sense there may be a bit of unreliability in the narrator. I still found this book an engaging and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in philosophy and academic life.


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