Nehamas's new book focuses on a neglected aspect of Socrates'
legacy: the idea of a philosophical life. For today's philosophers,
life and work are often barely related whereas for Socrates they
were indistinguishable. Nehamas demonstrates how the philosopher's
originality and example have inspired such thinkers as Plato,
Montaigne, Nietzsche and Foucault to find unique and interesting
modes of living - in their cases principally through their writing.
The art of living cannot be one which repeats the styles of life
created by others: it is an art of self-fashioning, shaping one's
own character - in Nietzsche's words, 'becoming what one is'.
Nehamas's book bristles with footnotes yet he has a light touch.
Readers may find Bernard Williams' short introduction to Plato
(Phoenix: The Great Philosophers) useful as a prelude to Nehamas's
more complex interpretations. Review by NIGEL WARBURTON (Kirkus UK)
For much of its history, philosophy was not merely a theoretical
discipline but a way of life, an 'art of living'. This practical
aspect of philosophy has been much less dominant in modernity than
it was in ancient Greece and Rome, when philosophers of all stripes
kept returning to Socrates as a model for living. The idea of
philosophy as an art of living has survived in the works of such
major modern authors as Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault. Each of
these writers has used philosophical discussion as a means of
establishing what a person is and how a worthwhile life is to be
lived. In this wide-ranging, brilliantly written account, Alexander
Nehamas provides an incisive reevaluation of Socrates' place in the
Western philosophical tradition and shows the importance of
Socrates for Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault. Why does each of
these philosophers - each fundamentally concerned with his own
originality - return to Socrates as a model? The answer lies in the
irony that characterizes the Socrates we know from the Platonic
dialogues. Socratic irony creates a mask that prevents a view of
what lies behind. How Socrates led the life he did, what enabled or
inspired him, is never made evident. No tenets are proposed.
Socrates remains a silent and ambiguous character, forcing readers
to come to their own conclusions about the art of life. This,
Nehamas shows, is what allowed Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault
to return to Socrates as a model without thereby compelling them to
imitate him. This highly readable, erudite study argues for the
importance of the tradition within Western philosophy that is best
described as 'the art of living' and casts Montaigne, Nietzsche,
and Foucault as the three major modern representatives of this
tradition. Full of original ideas and challenging associations,
this work will offer new ways of thinking about the philosophers
Nehamas discusses and about the discipline of philosophy itself.
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