Book Review: Conversations of Socrates by Xenophon

Conversations of Socrates by Xenophon

Socrates is one of those historical characters who is famous but never wrote anything himself, so people rely on others' testimonies. Plato is the most famous source, though scholars readily acknowledge that after the first couple of writings, Socrates turns into a mouthpiece for Plato's philosophy rather than Socrates' own. Aristophanes wrote a satirical play with Socrates portrayed in a lesser light. Xenophon, like Plato, was a follower of Socrates. He wrote several Socratic dialogues, collected here.

First is "Socrates' Defense," a recounting of Socrates's trial when he was accused of impiety and corrupting youth. Socrates cites examples of him offering gifts to the Athenian gods and that he has always taught that people, especially youth, might improve themselves. He's a bit arrogant and might come off as self-righteous. Even so, Socrates does not resist the death sentence, claiming it is better to die under the law (even with a false accusation) than to live to old age where his faculties will deteriorate. He offers no alternate punishment and refuses to let his friends do so. The style of writing is not as polished and vivid as Plato's, who presents Socrates with a more humble attitude toward the jury and accusers. Also, Plato's Socrates says nothing about senility while accepting the judgment of the state.

Second is "Memoirs of Socrates," a collection of random dialogues where Socrates investigates various topics. Socrates asks a lot of questions, looking to find the truth. The topics ramble a bit and there is some repeated material from other works. Each little section has some moral or some opinion that Socrates wants to get across, almost like Aesop's fables with people rather than animals. This part is interesting enough but has nothing great to offer.

Third is "The Dinner-Party." After a meal and a libation to the gods, the attendees discuss various subjects and entertainers perform. In this text, Callias, an ambitious but young man, invites Socrates and his friends to a dinner party to show off his learning. Others state their finest abilities as a young couple provides acrobatic and musical entertainment. The narrative has less of the moralizing of the "Memoirs" and has some nice, funny moments. It touches on love, like Plato's Symposium (another dinner party narrative), but not in nearly as much depth.

Fourth is "The Estate-Manager," a discussion about managing one's possessions well. Socrates plays the usual naive interlocutor. The first part has a discussion with Critobulus, where Socrates clarifies that the best possessions are what are useful to the owner. Also, hard work and self-discipline are the key to success in estate management and life in general. He gets into more detail in the second part where Socrates recalls a conversation with Ischomachus, a farmer reputed to be a "good man." Ischomachus describes how he trained his wife to managed the household, how they both govern their slaves, and some technical bits about farming. The Isomachus discussion is interesting as he is the active questioner/explainer and Socrates has the passive learner part in the dialogue.

This book is interesting as a different perspective on Socrates, though the editor comments that, like with Plato, often Socrates is more of a mouthpiece for Xenophon's ideas than for Socrates. I found it interesting as a student of philosophy but probably won't reread it.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Socrates' Children Vol. 1 by Peter Kreeft

Socrates' Children Volume 1: Ancient Philosophers by Peter Kreeft

Unable to find a satisfactory introduction to philosophy text for beginners, Peter Kreeft wrote his own four-volume work. His idea was to have a text that covers the history of philosophy by discussing the one hundred greatest philosophers. The text has four volumes, covering (1) the ancient philosophers (roughly 1000 BC to AD 400s), medieval philosophers (500s to 1300s), modern philosophers (1400s to 1700s), and contemporary philosophers (1800s to present). Most books that cover all this range are too long or too dry or too simplistic (or some combination of the three) for someone first learning about philosophy. Kreeft argues that the best thing is to read these authors in their original texts, but sometimes that is not easy. Like Netflix or YouTube, there are too many options to choose from without some sort of guide. This series provides that sure start to further investigation.

He calls the book "Socrates' Children" because Socrates is both the prime example of what a philosopher should be like and it can be argued that every thinker after him grappled with one or more ideas Socrates philosophized about. Twentieth-century philosopher Alfred North Whitehead is famous for saying that European philosophy is "a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato was the student of Socrates and wrote extensively about his teacher, though at some point in Plato's works he switched from presenting Socrates' ideas to using Socrates as a mouthpiece for Plato's own ideas. Socrates never wrote anything, so we rely on Plato and other authors. Since they were contemporaries of each other and of Socrates, they surely would have ratted each other out if they misrepresented the Socratic method.

Socrates did not claim to be wise but to be a lover (philia) of wisdom (sophia). He went about asking questions of people, trying to clarify their thoughts and ideas, which were often muddled and imprecise. This method leads to a deeper understanding even when it didn't come to a decisive conclusions. He used logic and common sense to get to the bottom of things, or as close as he could come. This method, which tends to point out errors and misjudgments, was not very popular with people on the receiving end of a Socratic conversation. Socrates was tried for impiety (he taught the Greek gods (Zeus, Hera, Ares, etc.) were not true gods) and for corrupting youth (he passed on his "impiety" to others). Found guilty by the court, Socrates was executed, a martyr for the truth.

Subsequent philosophers (and the handful before Socrates) all looked for truth, even if it was hard to find. This volume starts with the pre-Socratic philosophers and even goes back further to the ancient sages like Solomon, Zoroaster, Shankara, Confucius, and Jesus, who provide great insights and have had substantial influences on intellectual life the world over. After Socrates, Kreeft presents Greek and Roman philosophers, working his way through skeptics, cynics, hedonists, and ending with Plotinus, the founder of neo-Platonism. Well, that's the end of the ancient philosophers.

Kreeft presents brief overviews of each philosopher (though Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are much longer than others because they had much more to say and much more impact). He recommends key texts and secondary sources for learning more. And he tells their stories, often humorous incidents that show their beliefs in action. A reader can easily skip to people of interest (or come back to them) and branch out into other works to get an even better understanding. Kreeft's style is very readable and accessible. This book is an excellent start to learn more about philosophy and how it grew.

Highly recommended. I am looking forward to the other three volumes.

Book Review: The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton

The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton

Classical scholar Edith Hamilton writes this panegyric to Ancient Greece, the land of city-states that was able to come together under the leadership of Athens and conquer the invading Persians. She describes the Greek culture in detail, looking at historians like Herodotus and Thcuydides, playwrights like Aeschylus and Sophocles, and philosophers like Socrates and Plato. She compares them both to what came before and what came after, showing the greatness of Greek thinking and understanding. She presents a lot of arguments showing their love of human perfection (seen in their art, especially sculpture) and human knowing (which moved on from superstitious assumptions about reality to insights on the true nature of things). Their love of freedom gave them the strength to overcome massive odds, both in war and in the cultural development. She esteems them quite highly over the Eastern cultures of their time and the modern cultures of our time.

Unfortunately, the author writes in such glowing terms that it is very hard to go along with her thesis. Certainly Ancient Greece provided a turning point in Western culture and has had an on-going impact. The authors mentioned above are well worth studying, but surely there have been others who have equaled or surpassed them in the two thousand five hundred years since their time.

I enjoyed reading the book, Hamilton writes well and knows a lot. But I am not quite convinced by it.

Mildly recommended--this is a great overview of the Greek contribution to Western Civilization, if it is a bit overblown.