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A revisionist account of the most famous trial and execution in Western civilization — one with great resonance for modern society
In the spring of 399 BCE, the elderly philosopher 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 poison hemlock, his execution a defining moment in ancient civilization. Yet time has transmuted the facts into a fable. Aware of these myths, Robin Waterfield has examined the actual Greek sources, presenting a new Socrates, not an atheist or guru of a weird sect, but a deeply moral thinker, whose convictions stood in stark relief to those of his former disciple, Alcibiades, the hawkish and self-serving military leader. Refusing to surrender his beliefs even in the face of death, Socrates, as Waterfield reveals, was determined to save a morally decayed country that was tearing itself apart. Why Socrates Died is then not only a powerful revisionist book, but a work whose insights translate clearly from ancient Athens to the present day.
In the spring of 399 BCE, the elderly philosopher 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 poison hemlock, his execution a defining moment in ancient civilization. Yet time has transmuted the facts into a fable. Aware of these myths, Robin Waterfield has examined the actual Greek sources, presenting a new Socrates, not an atheist or guru of a weird sect, but a deeply moral thinker, whose convictions stood in stark relief to those of his former disciple, Alcibiades, the hawkish and self-serving military leader. Refusing to surrender his beliefs even in the face of death, Socrates, as Waterfield reveals, was determined to save a morally decayed country that was tearing itself apart. Why Socrates Died is then not only a powerful revisionist book, but a work whose insights translate clearly from ancient Athens to the present day.
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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:
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
Robin Waterfield, whose many translations include works by Plato, Plutarch, and Aristotle, currently resides on a farm in Greece. Robinwaterfield.com
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- PublisherEmblem Editions
- Publication date2010
- ISBN 10 0771088523
- ISBN 13 9780771088520
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages288
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Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths
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ISBN 10: 0771088523
ISBN 13: 9780771088520
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