Robbins Library Notes

Good morning, readers, and happy Friday!

I found this article yesterday — via Bookforum.com — which takes a look at the controversial figure of Socrates.  Emily Wilson, author of The Death of Socrates, notes:

We may be in danger of forgetting that Socrates has always been, and remains, a controversial figure. This is a great pity, not least because gadflies cannot help shake us out of our intellectual slumbers if we feel no pain at their bites. I recently wrote a book about the changing ways in which the death of Socrates has been imagined, in art, literature and philosophy since antiquity (The Death of Socrates: Hero, Villain, Chatterbox, Saint, Profile/Harvard UP 2007).I was surprised to find, as I researched this project, that my own devoted attachment to Socrates gradually turned into something more complex, and more antagonistic. One of the main goals of the book was, as it turned out, to show that it is possible not to admire Socrates, and that many people have had good reason to mistrust him. Since the modern cult of Socrates shows no sign of diminishing, this may be a good time to list some of the reasons why one might want to bring him down from his pedestal and quarrel with him face to face.

What do you think, readers?