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 enlarge | Author: I.f. Stone
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $14.94 (100%)
New (39) Used (113) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 277017
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0385260326
Dewey Decimal Number: 183.2
EAN: 9780385260329
ASIN: 0385260326
Publication Date: February 27, 1989
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 31-31 of 31 | | « PREV 1 | | |
Stone, like his glorious Athens, unfairly condemns Socrates. January 4, 1997
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
In The Trial of Socrates, I.F. Stone does his best to grant democratic fifth century Athens immunity from its unjust condemnation of Socrates. Stone, although he does reluctantly admit that the verdict leaves an unpleasant stain on Athenian democracy, attempts to excuse the Athenians for their egregious behavior by blaming Socrates for intentionally provoking their verdict. Stone, despite his incessant cheerleading for democratic sentiments, does a great job setting up the historical scene during and preceeding the trial. Likewise, his assessment of the reasons for the jury's decision, i.e., Socrates's association with enemies of democracy such as Alcibiades and Critias, is lucid and highlt plausable. But Stone's contention that the guilty verdict is as much Socrates' fault as it is his jurous leaves the reader feeling like a fatigued parent listening to one more excuse from his or her recalcitrant child. And despite the many pleasures that The Trial of Socrates affords, Stone's defense and explan- ation of the jury's verdict is highly reminiscent of the verbal manipulating Sophists that Socrates sought to discredit. Stone's book, a national bestseller, has been justly lauded by the general reader as well as the professional philosopher. The main appeal of the Trial of Socrates lies in its informative staging of fifth century Athens in which the trial takes place. Stone dileniates the history of Athens from the time of Homer to the setting in which the trial takes place without complicating the lay reader with unexplaned events and figures or boring the academician with a pedestrian attempt at scholarship. Furthermore, Stone's account is an incisive history of the birth and evolution of democracy and the democratic sentiments such as need to protect free speach. After reading this entertaing and informative book one can sympathetically see the reasons why Athens felt the need to try and condemn the seventy-year-old philosopher. Yet Stone's book also gives us the opportunity to reexamine the verdict and democratic Athens as well as our own democracy. The Trial of Socrates also provides staunch proponents of Socrates the opportunity to debate the merits and worth of Popper-like critiques of Socrates and Plato. And while the book does a great job explaining the reasons for the verdict, Stone certainly tries to lessen the sting of the unjust verdict. Likewise, Stone runs into some difficulty reconciling the verdict and the fact that people living in a democracy are supposed to be safe from such undemocratic witch-hunts. The Trial of Socrates thus proves to be a worthwhile read for proponents or opponents of Socrates and his fate.
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