The Greek philosopher Socrates was accused of and ultimately put to death for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. This extraordinary volume from his friend and follower Xenophon offers a spirited defense of the philosopher, including a summary of Socrates' own closing argument to the court.

Philosopher, soldier, and historian, Xenophon was a former student of Socrates who composed The Memorabilia many years after his teacher's trial and execution in 399 B.C. This collection of Socratic dialogues presents not the philosopher's actual defense to the Athenian court but rather a more general appreciation of his life and thought, although Xenophon does argue that Socrates was innocent of the formal charges against him: failure to recognize the gods of Athens, the introduction of new gods, and corruption of the youth. This picture of Socrates differs substantially from that drawn by Plato, who focused on the ancient Greek sage's philosophy. Xenophon, on the other hand, offers many examples of the great philosopher's conversations with his students and fellow citizens, recounting more of the actual advice Socrates gave to those with whom he spoke. Accordingly, these dialogues offer a fascinating complement to the better-known works of Plato.

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The Socratic Way of Life is the first English-language book-length study of the philosopher Xenophon’s masterwork. In it, Thomas L. Pangle shows that Xenophon depicts more authentically than does Plato the true teachings and way of life of the citizen philosopher Socrates, founder of political philosophy. In the first part of the book, Pangle analyzes Xenophon’s defense of Socrates against the two charges of injustice upon which he was convicted by democratic Athens: impiety and corruption of the youth. In the second part, Pangle analyzes Xenophon’s account of how Socrates’s life as a whole was just, in the sense of helping through his teaching a wide range of people. Socrates taught by never ceasing to raise, and to progress in answering, the fundamental and enduring civic questions: what is pious and impious, noble and ignoble, just and unjust, genuine statesmanship and genuine citizenship. Inspired by Hegel’s and Nietzsche’s assessments of Xenophon as the true voice of Socrates, The Socratic Way of Life establishes the Memorabilia as the groundwork of all subsequent political philosophy.