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Synopsis
A revisionist account of the most famous trial and execution in Western civilization―one with great resonance for American society today.
Socrates’ trial and death together form an iconic moment in Western civilization. In 399 BCE, the great philosopher stood before an Athenian jury on serious charges: impiety and “subverting the young men of the city.” The picture we have of it―created by his immediate followers, Plato and Xenophon, and perpetuated in countless works of literature and art ever since―is of a noble man putting his lips to the poisonous cup of hemlock, sentenced to death in a fit of folly by an ancient Athenian democracy already fighting for its own life. But an icon, an image, is not reality, and time has transmuted so many of the facts into historical fable.Aware of these myths, Robin Waterfield has examined the actual Greek sources and presents here a new Socrates, in which he separates the legend from the man himself. As Waterfield recounts the story, the charges of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens were already enough for a death sentence, but the prosecutors accused him of more. They asserted that Socrates was not just an atheist and the guru of a weird sect but also an elitist who surrounded himself with politically undesirable characters and had mentored those responsible for defeat in the Peloponnesian War. Their claims were not without substance, for Plato and Xenophon, among Socrates’ closest companions, had idolized him as students, while Alcibiades, the hawkish and notoriously self-serving general, had brought Athens to the brink of military disaster. In fact, as Waterfield perceptively shows through an engrossing historical narrative, there was a great deal of truth, from an Athenian perspective, in these charges.
The trial was, in part, a response to troubled times―Athens was reeling from a catastrophic war and undergoing turbulent social changes―and Socrates’ companions were unfortunately direct representatives of these troubles. Their words and actions, judiciously sifted and placed in proper context, not only serve to portray Socrates as a flesh-and-blood historical figure but also provide a good lens through which to explore both the trial and the general history of the period.
Ultimately, the study of these events and principal figures allows us to finally strip away the veneer that has for so long denied us glimpses of the real Socrates. Why Socrates Died is an illuminating, authoritative account of not only one of the defining periods of Western civilization but also of one of its most defining figures. 4 pages of illustrations
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From the Back Cover
A revisionist account of the most famous trial and execution in Western civilization―one with great resonance for American society today.
In the spring of 399 BCE, Socrates stood trial in his native Athens. The court was packed, and after being found guilty by his peers, Socrates died by drinking a cup of the poison hemlock. But, Robin Waterfield asks in this provocative reinterpretation of one of the most famous court cases in world history, is this the whole story? Examining not only the actual records but placing Socrates in the historical context of an Athenian society in a state of moral decline, Waterfield provides a gripping portrait of our most enduring philosopher.
Praise for Robin Waterfield’s Xenophon’s Retreat:
“An excellent book. Robin Waterfield writes very well, in a style that is accessible and sophisticated.”―Barry Strauss, Cornell University, author of The Trojan War
“A timeless story as well as a vivid tale of its times.”―BBC History magazine
About the Author
Robin Waterfield, whose many translations include works by Plato, Plutarch, and Aristotle, currently resides on a farm in Greece. His career spans both academia and publishing.
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- PublisherFaber and Faber
- Publication date2009
- ISBN 10 0571235506
- ISBN 13 9780571235506
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages288
- Rating
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Why Socrates Died: Social Crisis in Ancient Athens
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Why Socrates Died. Dispelling the Myths
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Cloth. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. Hardback. First Edition. Why Socrates Died.A renowned classicist and the translator of such thinkers as Plutarch, Plato, and Xenophon, Robin Waterfield here reconsiders the most famous trial and execution in Western civilization. As Waterfield recounts the story, the charges against Socrates of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens were already enough for a death sentence, but the prosecutors accused him of more, including mentoring those responsible for defeat in the Peloponnesian War. Waterfield demonstrates that there was a great deal of truth, from an Athenian perspective, in these charges, but more importantly, he is able in this context to remove layers of myth from the event and give us a clearer portrait of Socrates himself."The analysis will surprise readers accustomed to viewing Socrates' accusers as paranoid defenders of religious superstitions. For a careful parsing of the evidence reveals that when Athenian judges condemned Socrates, they were defending principles still cherished by most 21st-century readers: namely, the principles of democracy. Waterfield convincingly establishes that Socrates fell under hostile suspicion largely because of his close ties to young students of deeply anti-democratic sympathies. One of these arrogant young men joined other oligarchs in conspiring against Athens during its bitter war against Sparta; another scripted the atrocities committed by the Thirty Tyrants when they temporarily overthrew Athens' democratic government. Waterfield shows that even Socrates' own belief in an ideal government by experts legitimated elitist, not democratic, governance. Such a belief, readers soon realize, would have appeared particularly menacing to Athenian democrats traumatized by the twin shocks of external assault and internal discord. Impressive scholarship redefining an iconic event." Contents: List of Illustrations. Preface. Acknowledgements. Key Dates. Maps. The Trial of Socrates. The War Years. Crisis and Conflict. The Condemnation of Socrates. Glossary. References. Bibliography. Index. Illustrated. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions ,and all types of Academic Literature.). Seller Inventory # 091107
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