The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault (Sather Classical Lectures) [Paperback]

Alexander Nehamas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520224906 | ISBN-13: 978-0520224902 | Publication Date: March 1, 2000 | Edition: 1

For much of its history, philosophy was not merely a theoretical discipline but a way of life, an "art of living." This practical aspect of philosophy has been much less dominant in modernity than it was in ancient Greece and Rome, when philosophers of all stripes kept returning to Socrates as a model for living. The idea of philosophy as an art of living has survived in the works of such major modern authors as Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault. Each of these writers has used philosophical discussion as a means of establishing what a person is and how a worthwhile life is to be lived. In this wide-ranging, brilliantly written account, Alexander Nehamas provides an incisive reevaluation of Socrates' place in the Western philosophical tradition and shows the importance of Socrates for Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault.
Why does each of these philosophers--each fundamentally concerned with his own originality--return to Socrates as a model? The answer lies in the irony that characterizes the Socrates we know from the Platonic dialogues. Socratic irony creates a mask that prevents a view of what lies behind. How Socrates led the life he did, what enabled or inspired him, is never made evident. No tenets are proposed. Socrates remains a silent and ambiguous character, forcing readers to come to their own conclusions about the art of life. This, Nehamas shows, is what allowed Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault to return to Socrates as a model without thereby compelling them to imitate him.
This highly readable, erudite study argues for the importance of the tradition within Western philosophy that is best described as "the art of living" and casts Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault as the three major modern representatives of this tradition. Full of original ideas and challenging associations, this work will offer new ways of thinking about the philosophers Nehamas discusses and about the discipline of philosophy itself.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If philosophy is primarily a theoretical discipline, suggests Alexander Nehamas, it is because it has become one through the influence of tradition. But there exists another tradition, which flourished in classical Greece, in which philosophical pursuits were much more thoroughly integrated into the creation of one's full identity, both in regard to morality and personality. "In the case of pure theory," Nehamas explains, "the only issue that matters is whether the issues to one's questions are or are not correct. In the case of theory that affects life, the truth of one's views is still an issue, but what also matters is the kind of person, the sort of self, that one manages to construct as a result of accepting them."

Nehamas fleshes out the origins and development of this philosophical style in the Socratic dialogues of Plato, then goes on to show how the model of "the art of living" that Socrates presented to the world influenced the philosophies of Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault. The book's six chapters are notable for their close readings of Nehamas's chosen subjects, and for the erudite straightforwardness with which he is able to lay out his proposal for renewed attention to a discipline of thought that, he freely admits, is not the one true way of philosophy, but is one that has had many fruitful results. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In The Art of Living, an intelligently written and closely argued book, Nehamas (humanities, philosophy, and comparative literature, Princeton; Nietzsche: Life as Literature, LJ 12/85) begins with a reexamination of Socrates' significance in Western philosophy and then proceeds to show his importance in the writings of Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault, in particular with respect to what Nehamas calls the tradition in Western philosophy of writings about the "art of living." Nehamas gives the thrust of the book clearly in the introduction: "[My] own view," he writes, "is that no single mode of life exists that is best for all people and that the philosophical life is only one among many praise-worthy ways of living. I do not urge a `return' to a conception of philosophy as a way of life...[but] I do believe that we should recognize that such a conception exists." He perceives this as a counterbalance to the way much philosophy is carried on today. Nehamas analyzes the three thinkers he has chosen with considerable skill. This original work should be part of all philosophy collections. Virtues of Authenticity is a collection of 16 previously published essays on various themes concerning Plato and Socrates. The essays are divided into four groups. The first focuses on Socrates and questions relating to epistemological method and the idea of goodness. The second deals with several aspects of Platonic metaphysics and epistemology. The third considers questions of Plato's aesthetics, while the fourth contains one essay each on the Republic, Phaedrus, and the Symposium. The essays are all well written and well argued; for those who are not familiar with Nehamas's work in Greek philosophy, this collection provides an excellent introduction. Recommended for all philosophy collections.?Terry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520224906
• ISBN-13: 978-0520224902
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, though not essential, June 23, 2003

By 

Zachary Hale (Foster City, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault (Sather Classical Lectures) (Paperback)

The subtitle SOCRATIC REFLECTIONS FROM PLATO TO FOUCAULT introduces ambiguity that I feel the need to resolve. It should be rendered--most properly--as REFLECTIONS ON SOCRATES FROM PLATO TO FOUCAULT as opposed to SOCRATIC-LIKE REFLECTIONS FROM PLATO TO FOUCAULT. First and foremost, this work is about Socrates, the interpretation and re-creation of Socrates, and [to a limited extent] the uses to which the fictional character Socrates (not saying that Socrates didn't ever exist, but the figure we have inherited is fictional) has been put by Plato, Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault. Those four figures (with the possible exception of Plato, are NOT the main focus of this work, but subsidiary).

What this book is NOT is a work and synthesis of the theme of the "Art of Living" from Plato to Foucault (as I had hoped). Nehamas's book is much less grand of a project than that--once again, a focus on Socrates and how he embodies the care of oneself. [Perhaps THE ART OF LIVING should have been made the subtitle of REFLECTIONS ON SOCRATES.] Nonetheless Nehamas's analysis is interesting (and would be more so, I imagine, if I were a classics scholar). His Nietzsche (a figure with whom Nehamas has a lot of experience) chapter is notable.

There is a little bit of explication of the "Art of Living" for Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault outside of the realm of Socrates, but not much. Nehamas focuses on a type of ethic, an art of living, a self-creation of one's life as a work of art, that he views as deriving (in some way, however nonlinear or even through confrontation) from the practice of the Socrates of Plato's early dialogues that results in a creation of a self that is not universalistic but that "only [Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault] and perhaps a few others can follow. They do not insist that their life is a model for the world at large" (10). This is interesting, but instead of going deep within each of the later figures that he studies to pull out the details of their projects of self creation, the "Care of the Self", the "Art of Living", etc, Nehamas focuses on their relationship to Socrates in regard to their project. It is only in this regard that I am disappointed.

I got a scholarly study when I expected a great synthesis. But, I guess a scholarly study is what this was supposed to be, though the title certainly is ambiguous.

Interesting, though--I argue--not essential, especially if you are familiar with Nietzsche and Foucault (the "ethics" part of his work near the end of his life). For someone interested in the classics, maybe it is important, but on that I don't feel qualified to pass judgment. (i.e., there is quite a bit of critical engagement with classics scholars like Vlastos)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Fulfilling Book, if............, August 17, 2000

By 

Earl Dennis (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault (Sather Classical Lectures) (Paperback)

To paraphrase Nehamas' Montaigne quote on page 187 of this book, there really are no definitive books on anything; there is always something more to be said about a given subject. In this context, especially if you're interested in the figure of Socrates, this book is a fulfilling read. However, this is said presupposing one has previously read Thomas Mann's 'Magic Mountain,' a lengthy novel in itself, as well as some Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault, since Nehamas predicates his thoughts about Socrates on much these writer's extant works. If not, then I suppose the reading of 'The Art of Living' could get rather meaningless outside of the context of the afore mentioned authors. As it happened, I had read Mann's 'Magic Mountain,' along with quite a bit of Montaigne and Neitzsche, and fortunately Kierkegaard's 'The Concept of Irony,' which Nehamas refers to as well, prior to taking 'The Art of Living' off the shelf. I had previously only read two of Foucault's books, so a lot of what Nehamas had to say in the last chapter I just had to take on his word. Having said this, that one needs to be well read in the previously mentioned authors in order to get the most out of this book (not to mention Plato's work alone), it's a worthwhile addition to the body of Socratic analysis in terms of what is germane to philosophy at large and how it applies to those of us alive today. Also, if you're into the group of authors previously mentioned, I think Nehamas contributes wonderfully to their memory as well. Not having read much Foucault, I rather enjoyed the last chapter by getting to know more about this philosopher. As for Nehamas' thesis, of which another reviewer alluded to that there wasn't one, I'd say that to miss it is akin to missing a drive-in theater screen with a laser guided missle. The thesis is: 'what is philosophy and how can it be applied to everyday, flesh and blood life?' This is an existential view which I've often wondered about myself. How can philosophy be applied to real time living from its theoretical position? Although a thesis as such is clear, I don't think Nehamas tries to show specifically how such a thing is accomplished; which is the good thing about this book: it doesn't try to proselytize. It lays out a series of examples of this thesis and invites the reader to come to their own conclusions. The book also creates a decent bridge from ancient to modern philosophy. It's a serious book and a good book, but not worth the time I think if you lack the background to appreciate it; better to spend your money on some Plato, Montaigne, or Neitzsche than jump into these waters without a life raft.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, with a caveat, August 16, 1999

By 

Terence Harwick - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault (Sather Classical Lectures) (Hardcover)

The author frames his philosophical inquiry in terms of questions which have inspired great thinkers. He does not write a "how to" book or offer recipes for readers interested in a quick fix. Readers interested in thoughtful consideration of such issues may find that here.

This book is not recommended, however, as an introduction to Socrates/Plato with respect to the art of living. Here, I suggest that one would do much better by consulting sources such as Robert Cushman, E.J. Urwick, or Eric Voegelin, each of whom offers unique insight into the perennial wisdom of Platonic thought. Cushman, explicitly on Platonic philosophy as "therapeia," ever-relevant to the human condition; Urwick on a comparative understanding of common ground shared between the ancient wisdom of Socrates/Plato in the West and ancient wisdom in the East, with respect to the art of living; and Voegelin, for a set of "anamnetic" insights, including the fundamental Platonic insight of human life -- not as a reductive affair -- but as lived multi-dimensionally within the experiential parameters of the "metaxy," or "in-between" transcendent and immanent dimensions of life.

The author of this text is apparently more comfortable, and the book is clearly stronger when it comes to treatment of philosophers in the modern period. Readers should be aware that the conversation across the centuries here is read through a modern philosophical bias or lense. With this caveat in mind, readers with such an interest, may find something of value they may enjoy.