What would Socrates do?
Subtitle: self-examination, civic engagement, and the politics of philosophy
By: Joel Alden Schlosser, [Julian Steward Chair in the Social Sciences, Deep Springs College]
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 198
ISBN-13: 9781107067424; 9781107672260
Subjects: Philosophy; Democracy; Political science
Description: "Socrates continues to be an extremely influential force to this day; his work is featured prominently in the work of contemporary thinkers ranging from Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss, to Michel Foucault and Jacques Rancière. Intervening in this discussion, What Would Socrates Do? reconstructs Socrates' philosophy in ancient Athens to show its promise of empowering citizens and non-citizens alike. By drawing them into collective practices of dialogue and reflection, philosophy can help people to become thinking, acting beings more capable of fully realizing the promises of political life. At the same time, however, Joel Alden Schlosser shows how these practices' commitment to interrogation keeps philosophy at a distance from the democratic status quo, creating a dissonance with conventional forms of politics that opens space for new forms of participation and critical contestation of extant ones"--
Notes: Author's college position taken from first page of paperback edition.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-193) and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. Introduction: Socrates in democratic times; title: 2. Beyond 'Socratic citizenship': transforming accountability; title: 3. Socrates in drag: love beyond the polis; title: 4. Fearless speech in democracy: radicalizing frank speaking; title: 5. Midwifing Athens: Socratic associations; title: 6. Socrates' atopia revisited; title: 7. Conclusion: what would Socrates do?