The Cambridge Companion to Socrates

Description

The Cambridge Companion to Socrates is a collection of essays providing a comprehensive guide to Socrates, the most famous Greek philosopher. Because Socrates himself wrote nothing, our evidence comes from the writings of his friends (above all Plato), his enemies, and later writers. Socrates is thus a literary figure as well as a historical person. Both aspects of Socrates' legacy are covered in this volume. Socrates' character is full of paradox, and so are his philosophical views. These paradoxes have led to deep differences in scholars' interpretations of Socrates and his thought. Mirroring this wide range of thought about Socrates, this volume's contributors are unusually diverse in their background and perspective. The essays in this volume were authored by classical philologists, philosophers and historians from Germany, Francophone Canada, Britain and the United States, and they represent a range of interpretive and philosophical traditions.

Donald R. Morrison is currently a Professor of Philosophy and Classical Studies at Rice University. He has also been a Rockefeller Fellow at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, a Junior Fellow of the Center for Hellenic Studies, and a Visiting Professor at the University Paris I-Sorbonne. His publications have appeared in edited collections and scholarly journals, including Polis, Ancient Philosophy and the History of Political Thought.

'This volume not only offers a coherent introduction to different aspects of Socrates for beginners in the field of study but also serves scholars who are experts in the field by discussing problems in major areas of Socratic research. Every essay is accessible, well informed, detailed, learned, and systematic in its presentation. The collection is a major achievement and will be an excellent tool for research. It will be read with profit by anyone who is interested in one of the most inspiring and influential figures of antiquity.' Michael Erler, University of Wurzburg 'This volume is as authoritative as it is diverse. Donald Morrison is to be congratulated for having assembled a stellar group of contributors from a variety of fields and of scholarly backgrounds, who between them do justice to the 'contested territory' that is Socrates - all within the convenient limits of a quite compact volume.' G. R. F. Ferrari, University of California, Berkeley 'Donald Morrison's volume brings together some of the best recent work on Socrates, representing a wide variety of approaches to this subject. It is a substantial contribution to Socratic studies and should prove to be an indispensable tool for further research.' Richard Kraut, Northwestern University 'This is a good book, and is more manageable in scope and half as expensive as the rival Blackwell Companion to Socrates. Donald Morrison deserves great credit for ably assembling an all-star team of contributors, and he includes a selective and well-organized bibliography and an index locorum.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review