A review by lukeswagner
Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

3.0

The idea of modern day Platonic dialogues, featuring Plato himself, is interesting, but I found this book to be messy and simplistic. I can recommend this book to somebody that doesn't know anything about Plato, or who has never read him, (although I'd first recommend to just read Plato himself) but beyond that, there is not much insight from the arguments here. They are often times messy, lackluster, unconvincing, and I don't even think they disprove the "philosophy jeerers" that the author seems to take issue with. The people who Plato is conversation with are often times simply stupid to a point where the idea of Plato engaging in a modern setting becomes more annoying due to the fact that he has to teach these brain dead people that "No, its a bad idea for algorithims to be the moral authority" Or "No, money will not bring happiness." By forcing Plato to engage with these strawmen, the author misses out on the rich philosophical history that has come after and rejected Plato. For instance, seeing Plato address Nietzsche (or a Nietzschean), the post modernists, or even somebody like Neil Degrasse Tyson would provide a much more interesting and dynamic conversation to display the timelessness of Plato's ideas. Especially since these philosophers and scientists are in some way responsible for the moral relativism, the worship at the altar of science, or the uncertainty about philosophical progress, that the book tries to combat. There is a conversation with Plato and essentially Bill O'Reilly in which the author makes the Bill O'Reilly character say things that are so downright ridiculous, narcissistic, and ignorant that they just make the discussion seem pointless. The only reason I am giving it three stars is because I think I may not be the right audience. I can see it being useful as a very basic introduction to the lives and ideas of Plato and Socrates