Socrates and the Immoralists

Socrates' life, as revealed in Plato's dialogues, is defined by, twofold ambition. On one hand, Socrates scrutinizes, people beliefs, including his own, with the aim of exposing inconsistencies and learning about the expansiveness of human potential. On the other hand, he attempts to persuade particular individuals that the life of virtue and justice is far superior to the life of injustice. Curtis N. Johnson, by focusing specifically on the dialogues with the "immoralists"-Polus, Callicles, and Thrasymachus-illuminates the complexities of Socrates' thought, illustrates the complicated interplay of the seemingly contradictory parts of Socrates' ambition, and ultimately vindicates the overall coherence of the philosopher's views. Socrates and the Immoralists is an in-depth exploration of Socrates' argument for the just life, valuable to scholars of Socrates, Plato, and Greek philosophy in general.

Curtis N. Johnson is Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professor of Government at Lewis & Clark College