Socrates, the great Athenian philosopher, was born during the Golden Age of Greece, one of the most glorious periods in human history. He grew up during the exciting days of Pericles in Athens, in the midst of the flowering of drama and poetry, the creation of magnificent architecture and sculpture, the writing of literature that has inspired mankind for 2,500 years. The glory of Athens, inspired by the Athenians’ victory over the Persians against great odds, lasted less than 50 years. Socrates lived to see his city conquered by the Spartans from without and by a terrible plague from within. He tried to convince his fellow citizens to examine their own beliefs and behavior. The Athenians, looking for someone to blame for their troubles, arrested Socrates. They accused him of corrupting the young men who were his students. He refused to run away to save his life and was tried and executed.

Philosopher Luis E. Navia presents a compelling portrayal of Socrates in this very readable and well-researched book, which is both a biography of the man and an exploration of his ideas.

“Spectacular . . . A delight to read.” —The Wall Street Journal From bestselling biographer and historian Paul Johnson, a brilliant portrait of Socrates, the founding father of philosophy In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of Socrates, who is often hailed as the most important thinker of all time. Johnson provides a compelling picture of Athens in the fifth century BCE, and of the people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.

In 1965, Ari Onassis personally summoned Peter Evans to write his life story. After months of exclusive conversations, years of extensive research, and in-depth interviews with Onassis's friends, lovers and rivals, Evans produced the only true, full account of the charismatic and ruthless Aristotle Onassis. To be a major ABC miniseries in February. 32 pages of photos.

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are three of philosophy's greatest contributors. You already knew that. But what you might not know is that they all lived in classical Athens at around the same time. You might not know that Socrates was executed for practicing free speech. You might not know that Plato was sold into slavery for making the Tyrant of Syracuse angry. And you might not know that Aristotle tutored the famous Alexander the Great. The philosophers were part of some crazy world events as well. The Peloponnesian War, the Macedonian takeover, the thirty tyrants who thought they could wipe out Athenian democracy...it's all there. Truth to be told, there's not a lot of testimony out there detailing what their lives were like. Historians of those days were more concerned with documenting the perpetual civil wars, and the philosophers' students were more concerned with recording their teachers' ideas. However, this book by Simon T. Bailey entitled Greek Philosophers: The Lives and Times of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle is a look into what it might have been like for Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to live in Athens in the fourth and fifth centuries BCE. If you're looking for a dry professorial work full of archaeological evidence, then this book isn't going to be your cup of tea, but if you're looking for a partially fictionalized rendition of the philosophers' lives and thoughts that seeks to humanize those marble statues or are looking for something to wet your palate and get you excited about ancient Greek history and philosophy, then this book is your boon.

Socrates, the great Athenian philosopher, was born during the Golden Age of Greece, one of the most glorious periods in human history. He grew up during the exciting days of Pericles in Athens, in the midst of the flowering of drama and poetry, the creation of magnificent architecture and sculpture, the writing of literature that has inspired mankind for 2,500 years. The glory of Athens, inspired by the Athenians victory over the Persians against great odds, lasted less than 50 years. Socrates lived to see his city conquered by the Spartans and by a terrible plague. He tried to convince his fellow citizens to examine their own beliefs and behavior. The Athenians, looking for someone to blame for their troubles, arrested Socrates. They accused him of corrupting the young men who were his students. Refusing to run away to save his life, he was tried and executed.

Socrates had an early interest in the scientific theories of Anaxagoras, who taught the world that there are an infinite number of different kinds of elementary particles (atoms), and it is the action of the mind upon these particles that produce the objects that we see. Socrates believed that the senses of the body create difficulty for the Mind to think, and thus, he came to regard the physical world as deceptive. Socrates believed that his work, which he sought to understand through critical questioning and dialogue, was given to him as a divine mission, and hence, was his duty. His total lack of interest in material possessions was evident by his being always barefoot and wearing an old cloak the whole year around. His habit of going barefoot even in winter showed his power of endurance as well. To him, the aspiration for virtue was the highest aim anyone could have.