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    Socrates: A Man for Our Times
    Socrates: A Man for Our Times
    Socrates: A Man for Our Times
    Audiobook4 hours

    Socrates: A Man for Our Times

    Written by Paul Johnson

    Narrated by John Curless

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Acclaimed historian and best-selling author Paul Johnson's books have been translated into dozens of languages. In Socrates: A Man for Our Times, Johnson draws from little-known resources to construct a fascinating account of one of history's greatest thinkers. Socrates transcended class limitations in Athens during the fifth century B.C. to develop ideas that still shape the way we think about the human body and soul, including the workings of the human mind.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 13, 2011
    ISBN9781461847069
    Socrates: A Man for Our Times
    Author

    Paul Johnson

    Paul Johnson is a historian whose work ranges over the millennia and the whole gamut of human activities. He regularly writes book reviews for several UK magazines and newspapers, such as the Literary Review and The Spectator, and he lectures around the world. He lives in London, England.

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    Reviews for Socrates

    4/5

    63 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Almost a novel, albeit with a lot of historical background. This is because so little is known of the real Socrates, I guess.
    • 4/5
      I had only read Plato’s dialogues, and so only knew Socrates from Plato. Great to get a more complete picture of the man, and not just the character Plato created. As an example, I had no idea that Socrates had lived through Periclean Athens, and through its downfall and domination by Sparta after the Peloponnesian War. I had always believed his trial and execution were conducted during Athens’ golden age, and couldn’t understand why it happened in such an otherwise enlightened city. But, in fact, his trial was after the reign of the 30 Tyrants, who had effectively ended Athenian Democracy by the time charges were brought against Socrates.
    • 3/5
      A bit repetitive in spots. Tells about the life of a truly remarkable man.
    • 3/5
      A well summarized view and look at the life of Socrates. The first few chapters details Athens and Greek society as a whole. It also goes heavily into the Sophists, Plato, democracy, and a lot on Pericles and how his governing of Athens affected Socrates. It also goes into Euripedes and Aristophanes a lot and how they affected his life (especially Aristophanes' Clouds play).

      Sadly, due to nothing being written by Socrates we have to take a lot from Xenophon, Plato, and others. And Plato tended to use Socrates name as a vehicle for his own philosophies.

      The author does a fair bit of 'guess-work' which at times hinders the book I think. He'll say things like "Socrates did this, and I believe this is why" or other such things. And granted we don't know the blanks, I'm not a big fan of hearsay in a non-fiction biographical piece of work.

      The author does a fair job of highlighting Socrates' strengths and comparing them to some more modern aspects and people and showing how his life is relevant to our times.
    • 3/5
      Very quick read - a biographical panegyric on Socrates, founder of Western philosophy, and culture and thought, etc., etc.
    • 3/5
      Well written, but perhaps with a certainty not quite warranted by the available evidence. Johnson offers no citations for his statements, some of which seem to be based solely on Johnson's own interpretation of Socrates' life.What comes through here very well is just how much of Socrates comes to us filtered through Plato, and how different the man might appear were this not the case.
    • 4/5
      Socrates is best known through his illustrious disciples -- indeed, the greatest of ancient philosophers left no writings by his own hand for us to analyze today. While Plato provides much of what we know of him through his Dialogs, Johnson contends that much Plato's writings are colored by his own, often divergent, views. By bringing together other sources, including the great Athenian leader Pericles, the general, Xenophon, and the notorious Alcibiades; Johnson puzzles together a plausibly authentic picture of Socrates life and times. While Socrates enjoyed a long, privileged life, his demise is as equally legendary as his life. Socrates was not incarcerated for what he said, but rather for the company he kept. The traitorous Alcibiades was assassinated, and the Athenian General Nicias was executed after the debacle in Sicily that ultimately cost Athens the Peloponnesian War. Both were former pupils, and the blame for Athens' defeat led to a deep purge of those connected to the principals involved. Still, Socrates had the opportunity to get out of it, but his own hubris backed authorities into a corner. It was assumed he would chose exile over death, but this was not to be the case -- and in this end, Socrates did gain a measure of immortality few have ever accomplished.