Socrates: Philosophy in an Hour
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Socrates: Philosophy in an Hour
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Keeble
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By:
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Paul Strathern
About this listen
Philosophy for busy people. Listen to this succinct account of the philosophy of Socrates in just one hour.
Socrates is widely renowned as one of the founders of Western philosophy, despite the fact that his ideas survive largely through the work of his pupil Plato. Socrates’ dialectic – a method of aggressive questioning – was the forerunner of logic; he used it to cut through the pretentions of his adversaries and arrive at the truth. Socrates placed philosophy on the sound basis of reason, believing it to be better to question ourselves rather than the world around us and viewing the world as inaccessible to our senses – only to thought. Charged with impiety and the corruption of youth Socrates was eventually tried and sentenced to death, ending his life by drinking the judicial hemlock.
This audiobook is an expert account of Socrates’ life and philosophical ideas – entertainingly written and is above all easy listening. Also included are selections from Socrates’ work, suggested further reading, and chronologies that place Socrates in the context of the broader scheme of philosophy.
©2012 Paul Strathern (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedCritic Reviews
‘Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them . . .I find them hard to stop reading.’ New York Times
‘Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise’ Wall Street Journal
‘Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character . . . I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization.’ Boston Globe
‘A godsend in this era of the short attention span.’ New York Times
What listeners say about Socrates: Philosophy in an Hour
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Faiz
- 29-06-2016
Socrates
I found this review of Socrates most unhelpful.
The author was conceited and opinionated.
He seemed to think his editorialising on Socrates was far more important than presenting the thoughts of the man himself.
He made no reference to the other giants of human philosophy, Confucius & Buddha, who were teaching at the same time as Socrates.
He suggested that modern sciences such as psychology and psychiatry are not worthwhile because exact measurement is difficult. He ignores the fact the exactitude is also not possible in the physical sciences - The nature of light and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle are 2 examples which come to mind.
The overall tone of this work by Paul Strathern was a very Western 19th century view of philosophy and science. Disappointing to hear this twaddle in the 21st century.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- AC
- 01-12-2022
Don’t bother
This book, even as summary, lacks nuance and contains errors. It is woefully ill informed in 20th and 21st C scholarship, both in philosophy and other fields. Reads as if it were written by a more articulate (and occasionally funny) Mr Gradgrind. It certainly won’t encourage people to delve further into Socrates and Plato’s work, or think philosophy worth bothering with. This is a missed opportunity.
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