Customer Reviews

Six Questions of Socrates: A Modern-Day Journey of Discovery Through World Philosophy

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(4)

 

 

Dear writer of "False Depiction" (below): I appreciate your pointing out the shortcomings of this book however I believe it was not the author's goal to educate the reader about Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle so much as to bring the Socratic method of inquiry to the daily world of working people and youngsters, in cafes and K-12 rather than just the hallowed halls of academia. The goal here is not to be more educated about the specific philosophers; rather the goal is to inspire everyday people to participate in philosophical inquiry and self-examination of issues of life, in the mode of Socrates. So even if Mr. Phillips made such a factual error as you point out, it does not detract from the book's value or purpose, to inspire people to participate in this simple Socratic dialogue, bringing together earnest people from diverse perspectives which enrich the conversation and edify the participants. Buy this book if you want to learn to or realize how easy it is to create these Socratic dialogues in the marketplaces of your life.

I just earned my PhD in philosophy, and after reading this, I wished I'd spent my time doing what Mr. Phillips is doing. His scholarship is impeccable, I can attest to that. His knowledge of ancient Athens, and his ability to make connections between seemingly disparate areas of knowledge, leaves me amazed and humbled. Phillips is doing philosophy, in both a practical and scholarly sense. He makes me realize that you cannot really do great scholarly work without actively engaging in philosophical inquiry, as he does, with people of all walks of life all over the planet. I can see from some of the other comments here that some react hostilely to Mr. Phillips, and I admire him for taking on these people, who remind of the types of ignorant souls who have stood in the way of all redemptive and forward-looking work in virtually every human endeavor. "Senor Phillips, ojala un dia tenga la oportunidad conocorlo. Muchisimas gracias por su trabajo especial."

This book is a blessing. I read it in one sitting and now I'm ready to dive into it again. In revitalizing a type of philosophical inquiry that has not existed for centuries, the author's approach may be unfamiliar to those brought up on academic philosophy, and it may even be threatening to those who think of philosophy as the jargon-filled inquiry into the microscopic and meaningless and who because of intellectual arrogance would never dream of inquiring with anyone in an egalitarian way. Phillips and his fellow Socratic inquirers across the world -- from seniors in the Navajo nation, to schoolchildren in Japan, to Buddhists and pro-democracy activists in Korea, to diverse people of many walks of life in Manhattan -- interrogate from an array of perspectives those timeless questions that can set us further along a path to excellence, as individuals and as a society (the author would argue that the two go hand in hand). What I enjoyed as much as the scintillating dialogues was Phillips' introduction of philosophical thinkers from non-Western traditions with whom most are likely not familiar -- thinkers who, like Socrates, put it all on the line, questioning and challenged the received wisdom of the day, for the greater good of humanity. This book isn't just a great exercise in self-enlightenment, but must-reading for anyone who believes that a thriving and open society requires deliberative gatherings of the type he models in this book. What this book does is teach us how better to become our own best teachers and our own best thinkers -- with the ultimate goal of becoming more empathatic and humane.

As a professor in Greece, I can attest to the amazing scholarship of this book. Each section is like the fruits of a firstrate dissertation, only one that is intelligible and usable and relevant to a broad audience. Most of all, Mr. Phillips succeeds in accurately recounting the travails of the fall of the Golden Age and showing how similar patterns repeat themselves today, and how we can learn that it is by no means an inevitable or foregone conclusion that we must repeat the same mistakes. A noble and accessible tome, all in all, and one that we should almost feel an obligation to consider as we try to become more virtuous.

Yes, there are some lovely and thought-provoking passages in this book. Yes, it's wonderful to read about discussants from many societies grappling with questions of ethics and meaning. But, this text is not philosophy. It's not Socratic. In many places it's not even thoughtful. In fact, in many places it's flat-out wrong.

The Greeks did not think that "beauty" was equivalent to "order." They did not think that virtue was intrinsically linked with harmony. In this the author is simply wrong. In fact, the distinctions between these concepts are themselves instructive.

I was disappointed in this text. Philosophic questioning should search out the truth carefully and analytically. By contrast, pouring on fuzzy words, often in a foreign language, in response to the great questions will not bring clarity, or if so only by accident.

I suspect that Socrates would have been disappointed in these disputations, and likely would have skewered this author for his carelessness.

When I made the commitment to earn my PhD in philosophy, my aspirations were almost identical to those of Mr. Phillips. After 3 years as a university professor, I can attest that the path he took is the path I should have taken. This book of his is the book I hoped to write myself. The only way to write a book like this is to chuck the security of academia and throw oneself into the world, engaging with people everywhere, with humility and curiosity, and methodical rigor, as Mr. Phillips has done. This book is revelatory at many levels, and my hat is off to Mr. Phillips.

I never thought I'd see the day that i'd read a book on philosophy, but this book won me over. When I was browsing in a bookstore the other day, it's cool cover caught my eye, then I dipped into it's pages...and I was hooked. If Christopher Phillips is what philosophy and philosophizing is all about, then I am forever smitten with this field I'd once taken great pains to keep at arms length, because of all the pretentious and even arrogant (and worthless) type of thinking I'd associated with this field before coming across Phillips. The coolest dialogue is one that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco with a bunch of kids, in a section called "Goodness for Goodness' Sake." Out of the mouths of babes comes great wisdom. Out of the book of Phillips comes great thinking and writing.

I liked the author's first "Socrates book" a lot, though it was a little heavy on the earnestness at times; I find this one much better, excellent in fact. Phillips has found his philosophical footing and his voice, with crisp and compelling dialogues, exceptional scholarship, and his own well-grounded and at times groundbreaking critiques and insights. This book, with its global scope and particular emphasis on nonWestern philosophical thinking, should find a much wider audience than his first.

This book is supremely Socratic, blending the imaginative-creative with the critical-rational in a way I've frankly never before seen accomplished by a book on philosophy that will be just as appealing to a general audience as it will be to scholars. Reading the put-down diatribe of Jerry S., I gain a much keener since of what author Christopher Phillips is up against in his noble attempts to combat intellectual snootiness and pretentiousness that only shows how incredibly ignorant and vacuous some peole who "claim to know" really are. I met Mr. Phillips at his promotion in Dallas, Texas, where he read the first section of his book, featuring a dialogue he held in the "agora," or plaza, of ancient Athens (land of Phillips' ancestors), where Socrates himself held court way back when. Phillips really makes you feel that you are there in the agora yourself. The entire book is so enticing, you can't help but immerse yourself in the rich dialogues, as well as engage in a dialogue with Phillips' own probing philosophical meditations that include the best in philosophical thinking from around the globe and across the ages. This book is a masterpiece, plain and simple, and anyone who takes the time to read it without bringing any "baggage" with them, will surely agree.

I've never reviewed a book on this service, but was inspired enough to put down my two cents' worth. This book really makes you think, makes you question all your assumptions in a good way, much as I imagine Socrates would have wanted. It's been a long time since I've been a really active participant in a book I've read, feeling like I was communing with the author and with Socratic question. I recommend this book to just about anyone.