BY PAUL JOHNSON
A Riveting Account of the Life and Timeless Teachings of the “Father of Philosophy”.
5 stars out of 5 stars
Decades ago, while still in college, I read the book “The Complete Plato” Abridged by Henry L. Drake. The book is still on my shelf. The note inside indicated that I purchased it in March 1962. It was pleasing to me to see that it is still available for sale on Amazon.
The deepest impressions the book left on me were some of the similarities of Socrates/Plato’s teachings with those of Confucious, the most notable being that both believed that seeking knowledge was the surest road to happiness. I was thus thrilled that Paul Johnson mentioned this at the beginning of his book on “Socrates”.
It was a joy to read the 194 pages “Socrates” right after reading Johnson’s 784 pages “Modern Times” Although it is relatively short, “Socrates” contains all you want or need to know about the “father of philosophy”. You will also be treated with a concise history of ancient Athens, both during its golden age when Pericles was the leader, and the period of decay during which Socrates was accused of corrupting its youth, leading to his demise.
Socrates believed that “An unexamined life is not worth living.” He showed us how to examine our lives by asking questions and reflecting on them. In the process, we become aware of the areas that need improvement. How remarkably similar this is with the following saying by Confucius, as quoted by one of the master’s disciples: “I daily examine into my personal conduct on three points: Firstly, whether in carrying out the duties entrusted to me by others, I have not failed in conscientiousness; Secondly, whether in intercourse with friends, I have not failed in sincerity and trustworthiness; Thirdly, I have not failed to practice what I profess in my teaching."
Socrates regarded “A just man is one who does good not only to his friends, but also does good to those who have harmed him, thereby seeking to convert an enemy into a friend.” He totally rejected retaliation, commanding that “We should never do injustice. Therefore, we should never return an injustice. We should never do evil to anyone. Therefore, we should never return evil for evil. Predictably, this absolutism was rejected by most folks and was also a little too much for Aristotle to take.
Socrates believed that a human being consists of a body and a soul. "The body came to an end with death, and rotted away, taking its problems and appetites away too. The soul survived, and if guided in this life by virtue and wisdom, found itself prepared to be united with God and with other well-nurtured souls in an immortal existence of content". To me, this, and the following passage, which appeared after a moving account of the trial of Socrates and his death, are the best parts of the book:
“…. death remains as great a mystery to us now as it did to Socrates’ contemporaries 2,500 years ago. In knowledge of death. we have not advanced one centimeter in all that time. Our perception of life to come, if there is any, is no more vivid. If anything, cloudier. But thanks to Socrates – and to Plato for recording him – we have at least learned, if we choose, to approach death and an unknown future with decorum, courage, and honor.”
These two passages are worthy of the price of the book many times over.
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