Reviews

The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault by Alexander Nehamas

patlanders's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

charlieatkins12's review against another edition

3.0

This was an interesting and thought-provoking read, and a curiously rigorous mixture of philosophy and literary theory. Nehamas' main thesis is that Socrates is a kind of Rorschach test, an inkblot pattern whose incomprehensibility in the pursuit of an examined life made him an easy individual to project onto, which is what Plato, Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault did, each in his own way. Because he stressed the importance of living a good life despite telling us nothing of his own, Socrates inspired these philosophers to embark on their own journeys of self-creation. This "imitation" affords them, paradoxically—or perhaps not—a great deal of freedom since they can do it on their own terms.

Nehamas' explanations of each of the philosophers were actually quite helpful, especially when illuminated against their respective engagements with Socrates. The only reason I don't rate it higher is because of how effective/convincing one of Nehamas' main arguments is: The art of living is formal and relative—it is up to us to determine who we will be, and that means there are no rules or regulations; we must find it out for ourselves. Therefore, the book is truly provocative: The whole point of reading this book is to act on—or rather from—it, rather than to merely "reflect," of which I hope I'm capable.