The Ironic Defense of Socrates

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Product Description

This book offers a controversial new interpretation of Plato's Apology of Socrates. By paying unusually close attention to what Socrates indicates about the meaning and extent of his irony, David Leibowitz arrives at unconventional conclusions about Socrates' teaching on virtue, politics, and the gods; the significance of his famous turn from natural philosophy to political philosophy; and the purpose of his insolent 'defense speech'. Leibowitz shows that Socrates is not just a colorful and quirky figure from the distant past but an unrivaled guide to the good life - the thoughtful life - who is as relevant today as in ancient Athens. On the basis of his unconventional understanding of the dialogue as a whole, and of the Delphic oracle story in particular, Leibowitz shows that the Apology is the key to the Platonic corpus, indicating how many of the disparate themes and apparently contradictory conclusions of the other dialogues fit together.

The Ironic Defense of Socrates Review

I have read many books on Plato, but I have never come across one as rewarding as The Ironic Defense of Socrates. Like "listmania's" Michael James, I found it to be "the most lucid, profound, and entertaining piece of serious scholarship on Plato I've ever read." Leibowitz takes Plato's account of Socrates' speech at his trial and, through an extraordinarily meticulous and sensible reading, opens it up, showing how much richer it is than is usually recognized. His interpretation helped me to grasp Socrates' insights into virtue, moral responsibility, religion, and the relation between love, death, and happiness, as nothing had before. It also makes clear why Socrates is always so frustratingly cagey or ironic, and it provides a framework for understanding the mystifying inconsistencies among the Platonic dialogues. I can't convey in a short review all that this brilliant book has to offer. But to sum it up, this is the first time I found the case that Plato is the best teacher about ourselves and the world around us truly persuasive. A revelatory and potentially life-changing book. That it is often hilarious is an added bonus. If you can afford it, treat yourself to an early Christmas present and buy it. (Why does Cambridge have to price their books so high?)

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