Socrates, Paul Johnson
Socrates, Paul Johnson
3 Rating(s)
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Socrates
A Man for Our Times

Author: Paul Johnson

Narrator: John Curless

Unabridged: 4 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 10/13/2011


Synopsis

Acclaimed historian and best-selling author Paul Johnson's books have been translated into dozens of languages. In Socrates: A Man for Our Times, Johnson draws from little-known resources to construct a fascinating account of one of history's greatest thinkers. Socrates transcended class limitations in Athens during the fifth century B.C. to develop ideas that still shape the way we think about the human body and soul, including the workings of the human mind.

About Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is a historian whose work ranges over the millennia and the whole gamut of human activities. He regularly writes book reviews for several UK magazines and newspapers, such as the Literary Review and The Spectator, and he lectures around the world. He lives in London, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David on January 28, 2013

Short and enjoyable intro or refresher to the life and thought of Socrates. Johnson is a good writer, and this goes down easy. Many reviewers are hard on Johnson. Maybe they think he should have written a different book, but I'm OK with the one he did write. I think it's OK for a historian to insert......more

Goodreads review by Anthony on March 22, 2021

When Paul Johnson writes biography, the intent is not simply to recount the facts of someone's life: it is didactic. Johnson is an historian who intends to teach a lesson with his writings, to show us what we should draw from the subject's life, works, and thoughts to better our own lives. Thus it is......more

Goodreads review by Tom on January 12, 2017

This book answered a question I've had since reading The Republic in the 1990s. Is Socrates really speaking or is Plato speaking through Socrates. According to Johnson it varies from dialogue to dialogue. In The Republic it's Socrates voice in the first book and then Plato plays ventriloquist from t......more

Goodreads review by Lemar on September 04, 2023

Paul Johnson makes sound observations about what made Socrates different and groundbreaking: He was interested not in forms or logic but in people and what constitutes a virtuous life, the defining ingredient in his view of a happy life. He was a punster and a talker, the guy having meaningful conve......more

Goodreads review by Kisxela on August 21, 2022

This book is a good summary of Socrates' work and the time and city in which he lived. Its huge advantage is that it discusses the person of Socrates in a historical, political and cultural context. I have always been attracted to the "warrior-philosopher" character. Actually, if I were to write any......more