Socrates In Persia

At first sight one would not expect Socrates — the man, his life, ideas, and techniques of argument — to exercise any real influence over the Cyropaedia. Cyrus and his Persian soldiers are, after all, far removed in time, geography, and way of life from the world of the Athenian philosopher. None the less Socrates, Xenophon ’ s Socrates, is a real presence in the Cyropaedia, and this chapter deals with Socratic echoes in the work. For a start, Cyrus the Great has several character traits in common with Socrates: both have temperate habits and moderate material needs, both are capable of enduring a great deal of physical discomfort, and both have a tendency towards preachy didacticism. These characteristics are not, of course, restricted solely to these two heroes in Xenophon.

Argument (complex analysis) · Art · Character (mathematics) · Didacticism · Epistemology · Literature · SOCRATES · Socratic method · Ancient Near East History · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Mathematics · Medicine · Philosophy