Episode #61 – What’s the Problem with Socrates?

Socrates has been celebrated as the “father of western philosophy”. This is particularly remarkable when you consider the fact that we know almost nothing about him for sure. What we consider “Socratic Philosophy” is what has been reported to us by his students. Should we trust what they are telling us about him? Tune in and find out how ancient fart jokes, free lunch, and a wrestler-turned-playwright-turned-philosopher all play a role in the story.

Works Cited

Ahbel-Rappe, Sara, and Rachana Kamtekar. A Companion to Socrates. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

Aristophanes, and Alan H. Sommerstein. Lysistrata and Other Plays: the Acharnians, the Clouds, Lysistrata. Penguin, 2002.

Morrison, Donald R. The Cambridge Companion to Socrates. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Plato, and Benjamin Jowett. The Complete Works of Plato. Akasha Pub., 2008.

Rubel, Alexander. Fear and Loathing in Ancient Athens: Religion and Politics during the Peloponnesian War. Acumen, 2014.

Sugrue, Michael. “Plato, Socrates, and the Dialogues”. The Great Courses. The Great Courses, 1994.

Xenophon. Xenophon: Memorabilia; Oeconomicus; Symposium; Apology. Harvard University Press, 1992.