Ebook Free The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life, by Bettany Hughes
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The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life, by Bettany Hughes
Ebook Free The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life, by Bettany Hughes
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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The brilliant cultural historian Hughes (Helen of Troy) has again produced an intriguing and entertaining biohistory of one of the most important individuals in the ancient world, and of the Athenian society that condemned him to death for daring to question all received wisdom. Drawing on the abundance of contemporary references by both supporters and opponents to the philosopher, Hughes illustrates that "bsolutely of his time, he is also of ours," "the first ironic man" in an unironic age, a gadfly to Athens' citizens and leaders. Moreover, through careful description of fifth century B.C.E. Athens, she brings to life the social, political, economic, literary, and military realities of Socrates' society, in particular the centrality of the agora. Hughes devotes a substantial part of her account to the trial and forced suicide of the great philosopher, events which communicated Socratic humor mixed with courage. Regrettably, she offers little in the way of criticism of modern authors such as I.F. Stone who have clouded Socrates's reputation by championing the populist and "democratic" tyrants. But she aptly conveys the continuing urgency of Socrates' devotion to the inquiring mind. 16 pages of color illus.; 33 b&w illus.; 5 maps. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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From Booklist
There are certain historical figures whose lives merit perpetual reexamination because their impact continues to reverberate century after century. According to historian Hughes, author of Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore (2005), Socrates is one of these seminal social and cultural architects. Beginning at the end of Socrates’ long life, she reaches back in time, analyzing the historical context responsible, in part, for spawning such an exceedingly influential thinker. If, as she purports, “we think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did,†it is important for us to understand why and how he posited the relentless questions about what it means to be human that drew attention to his famous philosophical method of inquiry and debate. This, then, is not only a lively and eminently readable biography of Socrates the man but also a vivid evocation of Athens, the city-state on the cusp of originating many of the greatest precepts of modern Western civilization. --Margaret Flanagan
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Product details
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Knopf (February 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400041791
ISBN-13: 978-1400041794
Product Dimensions:
6.7 x 1.7 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.2 out of 5 stars
61 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#914,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The trial and death of Socrates stands alongside that of Jesus of Nazareth as a milestone in our civilization. What these deaths signify is far from clear. Neither man wrote memoirs about what he taught. Both were killed by political authorities intent on doing what politicians always do - keeping order. And both deaths have spawned passionate debate and interest thousands of years after each man breathed his last. Why we do care about these deaths?Bettany Hughes' The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life provides an answer of a sort. "Home sapiens," she writes, "craves the anonymity of the herd. All of civilization's darkest hours have been bayed on by men who want scapegoats, who want the finger of blame to turn in any direction, as long as it is away from their own face. Loose, jealous tongues are the bane of history." That, at least, is a compelling reason for why Socrates was condemned to death in 399 B.C.E. (The vote among the 500 jurors sitting in his case was close as to guilt regarding the crimes charged, neglecting the Athens gods and corrupting its youth - 280-220; the vote in favor of death as a penalty was 340 to 160.)Athens lost the Peloponnesian War to Sparta, its population was decimated by disease and war attrition, and the imperial tribute that fed the leisure of its citizenry had dwindled to a trickle. And Socrates was the friend of Alcibiades, a sometime friend, sometime enemy of the city. Surely a scapegoat was needed. Socrates, the infamous Socrates of Plato and Xenophon, was just too different. The Delphic Oracle had reportedly declared no man to be wiser; yet the philosopher proclaimed that he knew no truth. He wandered the streets shoeless, debating endlessly and offending with delight. Socrates, implacable Socrates, philosophized while Athens burned. "We strive for answers, for closure; but all Socrates does is ask questions."Hughes brings ancient Athens to life, weaving the setting for Socrates' life out of historic records and recent archeological evidence. The tone of the book is not the sort of ponderous scholarship often encountered in serious works on ancient Greece. It is rather playful; she is a wit at work and at play, trying to make sense of the life and death of philosophy's founding father. The book caught me off guard, her breezy and almost playful tone put me off at first, but I could not put the book down, even though I profess not to like the writing. How like Socrates this book must be: not altogether pleasing in form, but irresistible.In recent years, I've struggled with the question presented by the historical Jesus. What can we know about this man? Can we know anything? There is so much more written about Socrates by contemporaries, and Plato's dialogues, whether fictive in whole or in part, at least have the ring of truth: he was a witness to what he wrote about. We have no eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus, only Gospels written decades after his death and by men who never broke bread with the man -- nothing admissible, as we lawyers like to say. Why the great need to know about a man who cannot be known, and the easy acceptance of something less than knowledge as to Socrates?One claimed that he was the truth and that to know him was to be set free. He was killed by Roman overlords. Socrates claimed to know nothing save that the unexamined life was not worth living. He was killed by fellow citizens. Perhaps the deaths have little in common. Yet they remain two of the most profound political executions in the history of the West. Hughes has nothing to say about this, of course. Her focus is the Athenian. I will shelve the book this afternoon, but I will miss it a great deal. She's also written a volume on Helen of Troy. I suspect I will soon be in Hughes' hands again. Can she be persuaded to take a try at the death of Jesus?
A wonderfully written life of the most important philosopher of all time. The author provides in depth details of Socrates' life and a thorough description of life in ancient Athens at the height of it's power and it's decline. She provides a detailed description of the profound weaknesses faced by all democratic societies and how they historically lead to tyranny.
How better for what it purports to be. The characters I have studied for so long came alive and became immediate familiars.. The mix of the past and present locales, sites and activities raises the book from mere historical fiction to a felt reality. I certainly felt many times that I could walk out my door and be a citizen of Socrates' Athens. In fact I was concerned with how I would choose to vote at his trial. Not as easy as you might think if you are there then. Wish I had read this before all the others. Would have changed my understanding and perceptions of them. Thank you Bettany Hughs!
Just on the last few days of a month travelling around Greece, reading this book and walking in the footsteps of Socrates. The author has done a great job of bringing the times of 5 th century BC alive for me. Also interesting with current time of Greek Financial Crisis due to hold referendum tomorrow. We have loved Greece and the Greek people, so hospitable and family orientated. We are seeing the plebiscite in action in the land where this approach first started, but also where Socrates in the book is reported to have stated that the most valuable thing is in life is time for " leisure". I highly recommend the book and also a holiday to Greece to help them in these difficult times.
A wonderful compilation of historical sources, archaeology, and expert sources which bring Athens and Socrates back to life. Enjoying the book.
As expected.
Much more of a history on Athens during the mess that was the peloponesian war than about Socrates himself but this is because there isn't much known about the man. Like she says in the intro, writing about him is like a donut, lots of heavy caloric filling matter with a hole in the middle where the main character should be. That being said , I learned a lot about Athens and Greek history / thought , and got an idea of what an amazing man Socrates must have been to have lived through things like the war expeditions, the terrible plague, the besiegement by Sparta, and the tyrants that followed when her walls were torn down. He says that he just kept on living the way that he always had when the people were starving in the city as the Spartans surrounded Athens. He refused to condem innocent men to death on 2 occassions despite the huge risk to his own life for doing so. Anyway great book , gave 4 stars cause the little archaeology descriptions about these modern day locations weren't really of much interest.
This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys learning about the Bronze Age or reading historical fiction about that era. Socrates was such a prominent figure. His legacy has survived, resonating soundly into the present. This book makes his impact understandable. It contains delightful descriptions and scenes of this one man's life in all of its aspects; the soldier, lover, husband and philosopher. Bettany Hughes writes powerfully about the role of women and slaves in democratic Athens. Her attention to detail is spot on. I especially enjoyed her infrequent ramblings about geology and volcanism when describing the islands of Melos and Delos. I will read this book again someday.
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