Authors:
- Presents a provocative critique of authoritarian strains in Western political, religious, and social thought going back to Plato and Socrates
- Contributes to pluralistic discussions about the religious underpinnings of classical political and social thought
- Discusses a deep range of political, religious, and theoretical works in an accessible, engaging argumentative style
Buy it now
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.
Table of contents (7 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
About this book
This book poses a radical challenge to the legend of Socrates bequeathed by Plato and echoed by scholars through the ages: that Socrates was an innocent sage convicted and sentenced to death by the democratic mob, for merely questioning the political and religious ideas of his time. This legend conceals an enigma: How could a sage who was pious and good be so closely associated with the treasonous Alcibiades, who betrayed Athens in the Peloponnesian war? How could Critias and Charmides, who launched a reign of terror in Athens after her defeat, have been among his students and closest associates?
The book makes the case for the prosecution, denouncing the religion of Socrates for inciting a radical politics of absolutism and monism that continues to plague Western civilization. It is time to recognize that Socrates was no liberator of the mind, but quite the contrary—he was the architect of a frightful authoritarianism, which continues to manifest itself, not only in Islamic terror, but also in liberal foreign policy. Defending Homer and the tragic poets, the book concludes that the West has imbibed from the wrong Greeks.
Reviews
Authors and Affiliations
-
Department of Philosophy & Classics and Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Regina, Regina, Canada
Shadia B. Drury
About the author
Shadia B. Drury is Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada at University of Regina, CN. She is author of Aquinas and Modernity (2008), Terror and Civilization (2004), Leo Strauss and the American Right (1997), Alexandre Kojève: The Roots of Postmodern Politics (1994), The Political Ideas of Leo Strauss (updated Edition, 2005), and is a regular contributor to Free Inquiry.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Bleak Political Implications of Socratic Religion
Authors: Shadia B. Drury
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54442-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-85393-2Published: 01 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-54442-7Published: 19 July 2017
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVII, 271
Topics: Political Theory, Democracy, Classical Philosophy, Politics and Religion, Postmodern Philosophy