{"product_id":"the-art-of-living-socratic-reflections-from-plato-to-foucault-volume-61-sather-classical-lectures-9780520211735","title":"The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault (Volume 61) (Sather Classical Lectures)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor 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 philosopherseach fundamentally concerned with his own originalityreturn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648016638005,"sku":"ByrdShop_0520211731","price":43.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780520211735.jpg?v=1781706607","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-art-of-living-socratic-reflections-from-plato-to-foucault-volume-61-sather-classical-lectures-9780520211735","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}