Socrates: A Guide for the Perplexed

Socrates is regarded as the founder of Western philosophical inquiry. Yet he left no writings and claimed to know ´nothing fine or worthy´. He spent his life perplexing those who encountered him and is as important and perplexing now as he was 2500 years ago. Drawing on the various competing sources for Socrates that are available to us, Socrates: A Guide for the Perplexed guides the reader through the main themes and ideas of Socrates´ thought. Taking into account the puzzles surrounding his trial and death, the philosophical methods and ethical positions associated with Socrates, and his lasting influence, Sara Ahbel-Rappe presents a concise and accessible introduction to this most influential and important of philosophers. She concludes by suggesting that it is in fact the Socratic insistence on self-knowledge that makes Socrates at once so pivotal and so elusive for the student of philosophy. This book is the ideal companion to the study of key thinker in the history of philosophy.