Xenophon The Socratic Prince

An interpretation of Xenophon's Anabasis of Cyrus, paralleling the text to Machiavelli's The Prince, and focusing on the question: How did the Socratic education help Xenophon reconcile morality with effectiveness, the noble with the good, as a ruler?

Collected together here are a collection of works revealing the philosophy of Socrates from his friend and contemporary Xenophon. In "The Memorabilia" Xenophon directly defends the charges against Socrates, which were largely religious, but also political, in nature. Subsequently a series of episodes in which Socrates converses is related revealing a remarkable glimpse into everyday Athenian life and the wisdom of Socrates' teachings. In "The Economist", Xenophon speaks of household organization and administration, again allowing readers to see Socrates' political philosophy and ancient Greek life from the author's perspective. "The Symposium" vibrantly relates a witty dinner party in which Socrates and the author were both in attendance, and where each person present defined their idea of virtue and pride. In "The Apology", the state of mind and defense of Socrates is related in detail at his trial and execution. Finally, in "Hiero," an extended dialogue between the absolute dictator of Syracuse and the poet Simonides is presented, in which they discuss how the private man has easier access to happiness than a tyrant. While many readers may be more familiar with Plato's writings on Socrates, this collection gives added insight into of ancient Greece's most important philosophers. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translations of H. G. Dakyns.

Xenophon of Athens was a pupil of Socrates and a philosopher in his own right. He wrote two of the texts included in this volume, the Hiero (On Tyranny) and the Constitution of the Spartans. The third, the Constitution of the Athenians, is found under Xenophon's name alongside the other two in the manuscripts. The works represent three distinct types of government (the rule of one man in tyranny and kingship, the rule of law in the mixed constitution of the Spartans, and the rule of the masses in the Athenian democracy), but there are common features throughout. This volume presents an introduction discussing Xenophon's views on government in the context of his general political thought, drawing particularly on his Socratic work Memorabilia, and a commentary on the Greek text of each work aimed primarily at advanced undergraduates and graduate students.

Reproduction of the original.

An interpretation of Xenophon's Anabasis of Cyrus, paralleling the text to Machiavelli's The Prince, and focusing on the question: How did the Socratic education help Xenophon reconcile morality with effectiveness, the noble with the good, as a ruler?

The Memorabilia, a tribute of an affectionate student to his teacher, is valuable both as a work of philosophy in its own right and as a complement to the study of Plato's dialogues. This translation is based on the 1934 text edited by Charles Hude. It is prefaced by a substantial introduction by Christopher Bruell and includes ample annotations by Bonnette. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Cyropaedia, Xenophon's biography of the Persian king Cyrus the Great, was popular throughout antiquity and heavily influenced Renaissance writers, most notably Machiavelli, but has more recently been neglected.

One of the foundational works of military history and political philosophy, and an inspiration for Alexander the Great, The Anabasis of Cyrus recounts the epic story of the Ten Thousand, a band of Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger to overthrow his brother, Artaxerxes, king of Persia and the most powerful man on earth. It shows how Cyrus' army was assembled covertly and led from the coast of Asia Minor all the way to Babylon; how the Greeks held the field against a superior Persian force; how Cyrus was killed, leaving the Greeks stranded deep within enemy territory; and how many of them overcame countless dangers and found their way back to Greece. Their remarkable success was due especially to the wily and decisive leadership of Xenophon himself, a student of Socrates who had joined the Ten Thousand and, after most of the Greek generals had been murdered, rallied the despondent Greeks, won a position of leadership, and guided them wisely through myriad obstacles. In this new translation of the Anabasis of Cyrus, Wayne Ambler achieves a masterful combination of liveliness and a fidelity to the original uncommon in other versions. Accompanying Ambler's translation is a penetrating interpretive essay by Eric Buzzetti, one that shows Xenophon to be an author who wove a philosophic narrative into his dramatic tale. The translation and interpretive essay encourage renewed study of the Anabasis of Cyrus as a work of political philosophy. They also celebrate its high adventure and its hero's adroit decision-making under the most pressing circumstances.