Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher by


Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher
Title : Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1408883821
ISBN-10 : 978-1408883822
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 272 pages
Publication : March 5, 2020

An innovative and insightful exploration of the passionate early life of Socrates and the influences that led him to become the first and greatest of philosophersSocrates: the philosopher whose questioning gave birth to the ideas of Western thought, and whose execution marked the end of the Athenian Golden Age. Yet despite his pre eminence among the great thinkers of history, little of his life story is known. What we know tends to begin in his middle age and end with his trial and death. Our conception of Socrates has relied upon Plato and Xenophon men who met him when he was in his fifties and a well known figure in war torn Athens.There is mystery at the heart of Socrates' story: what turned the young Socrates into a philosopher? What drove him to pursue with such persistence, at the cost of social acceptance and ultimately of his life, a whole new way of thinking about the meaning of existence? In this revisionist biography, Armand D'Angour draws on neglected sources to explore the passions and motivations of young Socrates, showing how love transformed him into the philosopher he was to become. What emerges is the figure of Socrates as never previously portrayed: a heroic warrior, an athletic wrestler and dancer and a passionate lover. Socrates in Love sheds new light on the formative journey of the philosopher, finally revealing the identity of the woman who Socrates claimed inspired him to develop ideas that have captivated thinkers for 2,500 years.

Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher Reviews

  • goodreads Customer

    Very odd little book, Long ish walk to a small house, but charming.

  • Dan Nicholas

    Facinsting book. Bought it for a lover who was a Plato buffkept it for myself. just the thought alone that Socrates in the Symposium said everything he knew about love was taught to him by a womanworth reading for that mystery alone.

  • Ferosan

    A very exciting reading

  • Caroline Lawrence

    In ‘Socrates in Love’ Oxford Professor Armand D’Angour busts lots of myths about the fifth century BC Athenian philosopher Socrates. A contemporary of Pericles, Aristophanes and Plato, Socrates almost certainly wasn’t lowborn as Nietzsche claims but rather a well educated middle class man. He wasn’t always bug eyed, pot bellied and bald as many depictions show, including the little figure I snapped in the British Museum. The young Socrates was an athletic soldier and dancer. It is often claimed that he never wrote down a word but we actually have a quote from him, about dancing no less: ‘Those who honour the gods best in dancing are also best in fighting…’

    The biggest revelation of ‘Socrates in Love’ is that a beautiful and educated woman from Miletus might have been the one who set Socrates on his life’s mission to be a philosopher. LIke a good detective, Professor D’Angour sets out his evidence clearly and convincingly.

    I bought the hardback as well as the audiobook. It’s a fast and enjoyable read and I especially like the audio version read by the author himself. Professor D’Angour started Latin aged 7 and Ancient Greek at the age of 9, so you can be sure his pronunciations are correct. An accomplished classical musician and pioneer in the subject of Ancient Greek music, he even sings a little.

    Socrates in Love? Bring on the movie version!

  • BB

    I bought this for my father in law, a former teacher of Classics. He absolutely loved it!

  • A Seasoned Reader

    Wearing his copious knowledge with great agility, Armand d'Angour elegantly weaves together the many strands which made Socrates the giant of philosophy that he became in his lifetime. Perfect for readers who have not studied Classics as it does not assume pre existing knowledge but erudite and entertaining by turns.