Why Socrates Died

Dispelling the Myths

Edición de la obra Why Socrates Died

Socrates' trial and death together form an iconic moment in Western civilization. The picture we have of it - created by his immediate followers and perpetuated in countless works of literature and art ever since - is that a noble man was put to death in a fit of folly by the ancient Athenian democracy. But an icon, an image, is not reality. The trial was, in part, a response to troubled times - a catastrophic war and turbulent social changes - and so provides a good lens through which to explore the history of the period. Written by a scholar, but not only for scholars, this is an accessible, authoritative account of one of the defining periods of Western civilization.