Xenophon's Socratic Discourse - Softcover

Leo Strauss

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1587319667 ISBN 13: 9781587319662

Publisher: St. Augustine's Press, 2004

Synopsis

Xenophon’s only true Socratic discourse, the Oeconomicus, is a dialogue between Socrates and a gentleman-farmer on the art of household management and the art of farming as practiced on a gentleman’s estate. It is generally acknowledged to be the oldest surviving work devoted to "economics," and it constitutes the classic statement of "economic" thought in ancient Greece. The dialogue examines the roles of husband and wife in the household and the division of labor between them, and considers the duties of the farm steward and the housekeeper. It discusses the goals of efficient management and the means for attaining these goals.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Bruell is professor of political science at Boston College and author of On the Socratic Education: An Introduction to the Shorter Platonic Dialogues and a number of articles on classical political philosophy, including the chapter on Xenophon in the Strauss-Cropsey History of Political Philosophy and a long study of Strauss's book on the Oeconomicus, "Strauss on Xenophon's Socrates," which appeared in The Political Science Reviewer (1984).

Review:

"This is the final and most difficult volume of Strauss' trilogy. Only a Strauss could unravel its apparently simple but actually labyrinthic arguments." - Harry Neumann, Journal of the History of Philosophy -- Harry Neumann, Journal of the History of Philosophy

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Augustine's Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1587319667
• ISBN 13: 9781587319662
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 211