The Trial of Socrates
General Musings: I was at my in-laws last night and my father-in-law expressed grave concerns over my venture. He believes the challenge to be impossible to complete. He also threatened to post nasty comments on the site--I look forward to his vitriol. I'd like to make a preemptive strike now and mention that he was currently reading Lee Child's Without Fail--trash! [Although I must shamefully disclose I have read most of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels myself including the ridiculous Without Fail--crack cocaine for the pulp thriller reader]. Check out Lee Child on Craig Ferguson talking about Jack Reacher "the toughest guy in literature"
Also, somebody expressed concern over the page count and I just want to clarify a point for the nit-pickers. Different editions of books often have different page counts due to size of font, dimensions of the book (hardcover vs. softcover), and any corrections/additions/omissions from publishing. My page counts are from the editions I read that follow no rule except they are not those large print (16 point font) books for those with poor vision. I'll be talking more about book quirks in future blogs.
Finally I want to put a call out to anyone willing to lend Science Fiction, History, and Memoir entries to me (I only have access to a handful of them). A list of the 501 Must Read Book is here and I promise to return any books within a week's time.
Running Page Count: 2,085 pgs.
Today's Book: Isador Stone's The Trial of Socrates
Preface: As a budding classicist I was always warned by my professors against the quality of this I.F. Stone book. Stone was a liberal journalist in the tradition of the muckraker best known for his self-published newsletter, I.F. Stone Weekly. With hindsight his leftist views seem dead on--member of the Popular Front opposition to Hitler, supported the New Deal, outraged by the killings at Kent State, viewed the Vietnam War as futile,and he was a vigilant in guarding against anti-Semitism and racism [not exactly a wing-nut]. As a septuagenarian Stone retired from journalism and studied Ancient Greek and history in a bid to write this fascinating investigative history that proved to be a coda for the iconoclastic writer.
The Book: The Trial of Socrates is a brass tacks approach to the most infamous trial and most interesting suicide in history [looking at you O.J. to up the ante!]. Whereas everyone knows that Socrates was sentenced to death by a jury of his peers in the world's first (and I'd argue greatest) democracy few know what he was actually charged with--"refused reverence to the city gods and corrupted its youth"--or why he was convicted. The answer is as surprising as it is timely and I won't spoil it except to say, hegemony. Stone is unsentimental in his treatment of the father of Western thought and unlike Plato (in Phaedo) who raises Socrates to the level of martyr Stone shows Socrates as an often ugly, obstinate and seditious free thinker that put the state in an intractable and unwanted position as judge and executioner in a world that treasured free speech and free thinking. Like the Oldsmobile slogan, this isn't your father's hagiographic take on Socrates' death (okay maybe not exactly the Oldsmobile slogan). My favorite fact: after being convicted Socrates was asked by the state (like a good parent trying to impart the concept of consequence) what his punishment should be and he replied a state pension and free dinners for life--too bad his fellow Athenians didn't share his sense of humour.
Grade: A-
Observations: Stone is exacting over the Athenian legal machinations and his comprehensive treatment of the event is the best I've ever read. Although it has only been 25 centuries it may not be as fresh in people's minds as it should be and Stone gives context to the event without anchoring it to contemporary political ephemera. There is an old saying in Proverbs that he who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client--there is a time you just have to lawyer up.
Segues: The cover art is no doubt familiar and is in fact a detail from the eponymously named painting from French neo-classical painter Jacques-Louis David. Check out his biography on Wikipedia here.
And who can forget the most reverent and thoughtful depiction of Socrates? That's right Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!(See around 4:45 in the video for his short Tarzan-like speech).
Also, for the more serious minded the best reading about the man who made the plan is Plato. Plato was a wrestler (he is known to us only by his nickname meaning "broad shoulders") who used to hang around with teammates, including the old codger Socrates, talking and thinking about, well, everything. Plato gave us Socrates, Platonism and was kind enough to teach Aristotle everything from "the cave" to how to clamp on a German-quarter Nelson--'nuff said.
Tomorrow's book (Children's Fiction): E. B. White's Charlotte's Webb (8/501)
