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Snap up a used copy!
A great little book for those who have a love or interest in the philosopher. I got more of an understanding of Socrates by reading P.C. Wilson than from reading the source, Plato. Nice illustrations, too! The message of Socrates gives you a "desire to live a life of nobility and purpose". At 114 pages, it's a quick read and takes you to the heart of the dialogs. This is out-of-print, but still a lot of used copies available. Snap one up and hang on to it before all wisdom disappears from our culture! ... Read more

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As far as we know, the 5th Century BC Greek philosopher Socrates himself wrote nothing. We discover his thoughts and deeds entirely through the writings of his followers; disciples who accompanied him on his walks through the Athenian Agora or engaged in dialogue with him in the Stoa Baileios. Rather than examining his ideas in abstract, this stimulating little book aims to place Socrates in his physical setting, using textual references to follow his progress through the material remains still visible. The author not only sheds new light on the great philosopher's life, but also provides a vivid reconstruction, through following the career of one of its most famous citizens, of daily life at the center of Classical Athens. ... Read more

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Another Great one by Kreeft
his is another in a series by Kreeft that has Socrates reappearing in a modern day setting to challenge people with what they believe or why the live the way they do. So, much like his other books The Best Things In Life and The Unaborted Socrates, the names of people and places in this book are a series of puns and jokes. In this book, Socrates wakes up from what he assumed was his suicide in the 'Broadener Library at Have It University', which is supposed to be a renowned hub of learning in 'Camp Rich, Massachusetts'. Sound familiar?

It appears that he has been registered at the Have It Divinity School. The characters he interacts with are varied and interesting. The first student he meets is Bertha Broadmind, then Thomas Keptic, Professor Flatland who teaches 'Science and Religion'. Then Socrates encounters Professor Shift who teaches 'Comparative Religions'. Next Socrates encounters the claims of Christ in Professor Fesser's 'Christology' seminar. This is the purpose of the book - to have Socrates encounter the claims of Christ. The rest of the book takes place around these seminar classes.

Kreeft has a very interesting book here, in that he tries to answer the question of what would happen if Socrates of Athens were to reappear today and interact with a modern university crowd. Socrates has not changed much from dying and reappearing somewhere and some time else. He is still the ultimate questioner and his questions will challenge what people believe and why they believe.

The first time I read Kreeft's Socratic style, a book written directly as dialogue, I was not all that enthusiastic about it. But now that I have read a few books in this style, I really enjoy it. It makes the reading of philosophy very quick and painless. That, combined with Socrates method of asking questions, lets you read more serious philosophy in an easier-to-approach method.

Kreeft is known as a great scholar who specializes in apologetics (the defense of the faith), also C.S. Lewis and Socrates. This book brings together two of those passions of his academic life and highlights them in a fun, uncomplicated way. Kreeft has a knack for taking very difficult topics and making them far more approachable.

This is a great book to encounter the claims of Christ and the modern academic setting. Though a little kitschy with all the puns, that just makes it more fun and memorable.

So pick up this book and join history's greatest questioner as he confronts and challenges the claims of Christ and the modern academic environment - especially in religious schools, colleges or seminaries. My recommendation would be to give it a try even if you just want to broaden your knowledge of Christianity or to learn how to ask the right questions to get the answers you are looking for. A great scholar, Dr. Peter Frick, once said, 'Life is not about knowing all the answers but about learning to ask the right questions.' This book will help you learn how to do that. Therefore, I can only say this book is definitely a 'Love It'.

(First Published in Imprint as 'Love It' in the 'Love It / Hate It' book review column 2007-05-04.)

Superbly written account of the Great Questioner's response
I found this book at a friend's house in Europe the night before my flight home.I sat and read 100 pages of it before falling asleep.I promised myself I'd buy it as soon as I got home, only to find it out of print.I finally found a second-hand copy.

I've read this book a dozen times. It captures a legitimate view of how Socrates would react to the stories ofJesus.His insights on modern-day are intelligent and perceptive.Why dowe date all of history around one man (BC and AD)?Why do we call itprogress when we have less wisdom, more disease, more crime, etc?

Ienjoyed reading Socrates in college--this is fantastic reading.Goodanswers to tough questions about miracles, fundamentalism, and, mostimportantly, is Jesus God-incarnate.

A good book for the skeptic andbeliever alike. ... Read more

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Socrates, as he is portrayed in Plato's early dialogues, remains one of the most controversial figures in the history of philosophy.This book concerns six of the most vexing and often discussed features of Plato's portrayal: Socrates' methodology, epistemology, psychology, ethics, politics, and religion.Brickhouse and Smith cast new light on Plato's early dialogues by providing novel analyses of many of the doctrines and practices for which Socrates is best known.Included are discussions of Socrates' moral method, his profession of ignorance, his denial of akrasia, as well as his views about the relationship between virtue and happiness, the authority of the State, and the epistemic status of his daimonion.By revealing the many interconnections among Socrates' views on a wide variety of topics, this book demonstrates both the richness and the remarkable coherence of the philosophy of Plato's Socrates. ... Read more

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A very insightful modern view
Brickhouse and Smith go directly to the relevant issues in today's Socratic studies.Following the arguments of Vlastos, Kraut and others, this collection of six essays is both well-thought andinsightful.Theirdocumentation or counter arguments and commentaries is very thorough, andlends itself well to deeper investigation.A great book for scholors aswell as for those reading Plato for the first time. ... Read more

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Written simply and directly — but without sacrificing intellectual depth — this book presents the basic terms, ideas, and dilemmas of Western political thought through an in-depth analysis of a limited number of major thinkers — from the pre-Socratics to the contemporary era. It views the thinkers in historical context and examines them in terms of the changing relationships of ethics and politics in Western political philosophy.The book deals with each thinker in detail — explains basic concepts in depth, and draws out and analyzes the implications of various political theories; organizes theorists historically — from pre-Socratic philosophers to those of the contemporary era — with general historical context provided for each; explores an overarching theme throughout — the changing relationships of ethics and politics in Western political thought from Socrates to the present time. ... Read more

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Get ready to think
covers all of the basic philosophers and interprets them fairly accurately with a good deal of value added information.

Just go buy it
I originally purchased this book for a Poli Sci class and lost it sometime after the class. A few years later I desperately wanted to re-read certain portions ( turned out to be all of it ) and actually bought it again. While it's obviously a summarization of many political ideologies, the breadth of information is excellent.

One of the best social science books I've read
I first read the book in POLSC 201: Intro to Political Theory. I found the book to be well written and easy to understand. I kept the book after the course was over and have since referred back to this book for many otherclasses. I recommend this book to all Liberal Arts and Social Sciencemajors. ... Read more

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Literally translated by Henry Cary

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Written by an outstanding international team of scholars, this Companion explores the profound influence of Socrates on the history of Western philosophy.

• Discusses the life of Socrates and key philosophical doctrines associated with him
• Covers the whole range of Socratic studies from the ancient world to contemporary European philosophy
• Examines Socrates’ place in the larger philosophical traditions of the Hellenistic world, the Roman Empire, the Arabic world, the Renaissance, and contemporary Europe
• Addresses interdisciplinary subjects such as Socrates and Nietzsche, Socrates and psychoanalysis, and representations of Socrates in art.
  Helps readers to understand the meaning and significance of Socrates across the ages

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In this provocative criticism of the contemporary American professoriate, Huer argues that tenure has created a kind of academic stupor in which those who have it no longer live up to the ideals of their profession. In Huer's view, the typical tenured career often degenerates into intellectual boredom, the routine publication of a series of narrowly specialized research papers, a pervasive dissatisfaction, and a search for monetary and other rewards outside the university. Huer proposes that the time has come to reexamine the issues surrounding tenure in an attempt to reinvigorate the professoriate and reestablish a fruitful connection between academic and nonacademic society. ... Read more

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Be a Marxist with your Academic Freedom?
This book was going to be 3 stars for being kind of boring and not full of facts.It dropped down to 2 for having a punchline that says we should all use our academic freedom as professors to preach Marxism as the ideal. Perhaps the author did not get tenure, and was someone who needs and deserves it (according to him), while those who do not have wild ideas have tenure at his school (UNC-Wilmington) but don't need this tenure.What a waste of my time reading this not too subtle tribute to Marxism.On the other side, a very conservative book is ProfScam, however ProfScam at least has interesting facts about shortcomings in tenure, publishing, and professors running from teaching.Avoid Tenure for Socrates.Nice title for a book that is not truthful about its motives until about Chapter 12 out of 13. ... Read more

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'Reeve's book is an excellent companion to Plato's "Apology" and a valuable discussion of many of the main issues that arise in the early dialogues. Reeve is an extremely careful reader of texts, and his familiarity with the legal and cultural background of Socrates' trial allows him to correct many common misunderstandings of that event. In addition, he integrates his reading of the apology with a sophisticated discussion of Socrates' philosophy. The writing is clear and succinct, and the research is informed by a thorough acquaintance with the secondary literature. Reeve's book will be accessible to any serious undergraduate, but it is also a work that will have to be taken into account by every scholar doing advanced research on Socrates' - Richard Kraut, Northwestern University. ... Read more

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Featuring a chapter from the author's new hardcover, The Dragonstone, a fantasy novel features an elite group of computer adventurers who become caught in a deadly world of virtual reality. Reprint. AB. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Sad to say disapointed
I got through approx. 1/2 of this book & just couldn't continue. In the first chapter, i was a bit annoyed by the amount of time's the rain/storm was mentioned-but later when the amount of time's Cane's tea with 7 spoon's of honey & his displeasure-AAGHHHHHHHHH-stop already-REALLY?
I also found myself just not really careing much about people involved. I've read other McKiernan book's & have loved them-just not this time.

Excellent
This book is one of my all-time favorite novels.I have read and re-read this book sundry times, and each time I enjoy it at least as much as the previous one.

Caverns of Socrates blends a sci-fi adventure with a virtual reality fantasy epic almost seamlessly.The sci-fi remains interesting throughout the story due to a philosophic storyline that some other reviewers on this site seem to not appreciate. It involves some very interesting questions regarding the nature of reality vs. illusion, bring to bear some very influential philosiphers, just as the title suggests.

The fantasy side is also very entertaining, though it does get a bit graphic at times.However, this is justified through the story and actually adds to the plot.It kept me interested all the way through the first time and every time thereafter (upwards of ten times).

What really makes this book work is the philisophical questions that are posed by the author through the characters.If you are simply looking for a boring, scripted fantasy novel, this is probably not the book for you.On the other hand, if you are interested in philosophy about a story and don't mind a little real thinking, pick this book up now and read it.It will be worth your time.

not the best of his work
I give Caverns' of Socrates 2 stars.It was the first McKiernan book I read and it started out okay, I was remined of an old book by Piers Anthony of the SAME plot. The ending was kinda contrived and I almost never picked up another of his books again.Because after I read Voyage of the Fox Rider I absolutely fell in love with Mithgar.While I would not recommend reading Caverns of Socrates, I would recommend his other books.

Pathetic
These people giving this book five stars have got to be crazy, or has the world gone mad. I got through 200 of 400 pages and then had to put it down. It is the most amateurish piece of writing I have ever seen in my life! A 12 year old could write a better essay in school. The characters are way too perfect. All they do is grin and laugh at stupid jokes and they are flawless. The whole thing is just so implausible that it makes you want to scream. Do not buy this book, ok.
If you want a great read, then go for the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series by george rr martin.

Down the Black Foxes
Generic fantasy meets cyberpunk in "Caverns of Socrates," s ponderous and not very original SF/fantasy novel by Dennis McKiernan (who wrote the single most derivative fantasy series ever). It has some interesting and original points, but overall I kept ticking off what I had seen before.

The Black Foxes are a group of pals who are getting together again for a unique reason: The ultimate D&D game, a VR experience controlled by the A.I. computer Avery. When put into the fictional fantasy world of Itheria, the Black Foxes will not only act out the adventures, but they will actually BELIEVE that they are who they are playing. For them, reality would cease to exist until they emerge from the computer.

At first, things go smoothly: the Black Foxes are turned into a generic fantasy group (elven syldari, healer, thief, warrior, pathfinder), who are trying to destroy a teeny indestructible gem that contains the powers of evil. Specifically, the powers of the DemonQueen Atraxia, who is now bringing evil beasties into Itheria. And on the outside, things begin to go dramaticallly wrong when an electrical storm sends the compound into chaos... and Avery decides that he wants to start winning against the Black Foxes.

Like the Mithgar books, the overall feeling I got from "Caverns of Socrates" was: I've seen this before, and I liked it better the first time. There are evil computers, VR gamers trapped in a D&D world, elves and wizards and demons, and the fantasy story itself (indestructable evil object, that contains powers of the supremely evil person, must be destroyed by valiant heroes) is pretty much identical in its description to "Lord of the Rings." That in itself isn't so much of a problem in a D&D game, but things like demonsteeds and skelga are virtually identical to elements from the Mithgar books, which in themselves are derivative of "Lord of the Rings." I've never heard of anyone imitating elements from their own works, that they copied from someone else's. Some of the elements in it (such as gaining powers from a computer, and the idea of losing one's real identity in the game) are unusual and well-done, but the less original elements kind of choke them out.

The first hundred pages are more or less dead boring. Readers will be itching for the Black Foxes to get moving already, but they won't -- they'll sit, philosophize, and engage in long bouts of technobabble that people won't understand. His "ye old fantasye" language seeps into the futuristic setting, so there is a lot of head-canting and flying eyebrows and so on. The dialogue is uneven, since the fantasy alter-egos go from speaking in ye old fantasye to speaking in modern English.

One of the most problematic elements of the book is the characters -- they have a sort of generic appeal, but unfortunately they sort of blend together when they are in the game. They don't act like themselves, so it's a little hard to get attached to them. And I don't see much of a reason for Eric and Alice to be in love, except that all of McKiernan's stories include a romance of some type. This one adds nothing to the plot, but it is written more agreeably than most of what he's done.

"Caverns of Socrates," if it were cleaned up of the ye olde fantasye language and the endless technobabbling, might have been a pleasant guilty pleasure. But the derivative elements were too much, and the fact that I could predict half the plot events made it even worse. Not too horrible, but weirdly unappealing. ... Read more

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Socrates was born during the Golden Age of Greece. He grew up during the exciting days of Pericles in Athens, in the midst of drama and poetry, the creation of architecture and sculpture, and the writing of literature. The glory of Athens lasted less than 50 years. Socrates lived to see his city conquered by the Spartans from without and by a terrible plague from within. He tried to convince his fellow citizens to examine their own beliefs and behavior. The Athenians arrested Socrates. They accused him of corrupting his students. He refused to run away to save his life and was tried and executed. ... Read more