Socrates: A Man for Our Times

by Johnson, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780143122210
• ISBN10: 0143122215
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-27
• Publisher: Penguin Books

Summary

A brilliant portrait of the Greek philosopher who personified philosophy. Socrates was undeniably one of the greatest thinkers of all time, yet he wrote nothing. Throughout his life, and indeed until his very last moment alive, Socrates fully embodied his philosophy in thought and deed. It is through the story of his life that we can fully grasp his powerful actions and ideas. In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man living in Athens in the fifth century b.c., and how what this man thought still shapes the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul. Johnson provides a compelling picture of the city and people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.

Author Biography

Paul Johnson's many books, including A History of Christianity, A History of the Jews, Modern Times, Churchill, and Napoleon: A Penguin Life, have been hailed as masterpieces of historical analysis. He is a regular columnist for Forbes and The Spectator, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many others publications. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Living Man and Ventriloquist's Doll	p. 3
The Ugly Joker with the Gift for Happiness	p. 17
Socrates and the Climax of Athenian Optimism	p. 37
Socrates the Philosophical Genius	p. 71
Socrates and Justice	p. 103
The Democralization of Athens and the Death of Socrates	p. 137
Socrates and Philosophy Personified	p. 183
Further Reading	p. 197
Index	p. 199
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