The coverage of Onassis is fine.There are maybe 3 other bio's on him ,so if you want to know about him,there is much to read.Livanos and Niarchos are little known and that is unacceptable.In the end Livanos and Niarchos acquired more wealth than the more known Onassis.Livanos,a very frugle man lived modestly given his means.He did'nt like borrowing money so he paid cash for his ships.He switched to credit purchases years later.Onassis & Niarchos married his two daughters.Niarchos was like an aristocrat.He collected the finest of all types of art.His collection at one point was worth over a $100 million.He lived very well given his means.Women adored him.All three men are dead now ,Niarchos' pile of wealth reached upwards of $2.5 billion he lived close to his 90's.These three changed the transport of oil and commodities by always building bigger and better ships.Great history ,great read.

This book is very informative and well-written. it tells all the main points of the life of the famous Greek philosopher, but concentrates on his trial, where he was accused of corrupting the morals of the young people. This is great material for student report writing.

The collaborative effort of William M. Calder III, Bernhard Huss, Marc Mastrangelo, R. Scott Smith, & Stephen M. Trzaskoma, The Unknown Socrates is an impressive evaluation of just who Socrates really was, as its contributors strive to separate the man from the myths and legends that have grown up around him throughout history. Four ancient text translations are offered: Diogenes Laaertius (Life of Socrates), Libanius (Apology of Socrates), Maximus of Tyre (Whether Socrates Did The Right Thing When He Did Not Defend Himself), and Apuleius (On the God of Socrates). Offering introductions to four authors of antiquity and their works, translated texts with notes, the original Latin or Greek text of each work, and select bibliographies, The Unknown Socrates is a first-rate combination of primary sources and helpful interpretations. The Unknown Socrates is very highly recommended for Greek and Latin Studies reference shelves, as well as supplemental Socratic Philosophy reading lists.

Virtues of Authenticity comprises of more than a dozen essays on varying themes on Plato and Socrates; primarily Plato; and includes Nehamas' essays on the Symposium, the Phaedrus and the Republic, which also appear in the volumes he had translated earlier. Nehamas tries to answer basic questions, like what and to whom Socrates taught, or why Plato hated poetry. His analytical rigor really shows and the book, despite the depth of his analysis, reads really well, though you always feel that you may have lost an entire level of meaning; and you have, indeed.

Very interesting in conjunction with Vlastos' work as well as with Nehamas' own lectures in his "Art of Living" on Socratic and Platonic irony.

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.

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 other classes. I recommend this book to all Liberal Arts and Social Science majors.

Socrates Fortlow is a character that embodies some part of the everyday experiences of African American people, hope, despair, insight, trust, wisdom. As a member of the criminal defense bar, I come in contact with people like Socrates on a daily basis. The novel had particular meaning for me. No matter hard difficult my job becomes, or how oppressive the law has become, or how inherently racist the system continues to be, or how frustated I get with my clients, this novel reminded me of hope, persistance and the goodness of mankind. This book reinforced why I will comtinue to represent men like Socrates Fortlow.

I'd never heard of Walter Mosley and had not come to this book via the Easy Rawlins series. Rather, I saw it on a remainders table, bought it on impulse, gulped it down in two sittings. A book about black men and the ache to do something worthwhile against the odds of real life in South Central. Two days after I read the book I saw the movie adaptation with the inimitable Laurence Fishburne. A wonderful movie. But the book is better. Socrates Fortlow is a true original, and I loved him.

A friend gave me Mosley's book Walkin' the Dog, to show me what good writing was about. Mr.Mosley not only drew me in, but I wished I had received Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned first, just so I knew more about Socrates Fortlow and how he arrived. I've since devoured the stories in both books, and made them part of my permanent collection of greats. Mosley is a prolific writer, who asks you to walk beside him through the streets of Los Angeles, eyes wide opened, and nostrils flaring, and if you dare to, take in the sight,sound,feel,and smell of the Watts ghetto. Mr. Mosley deserves acclaim for his effort and moreso for his extraordinary success in the creation of Socrates Fortlow, his friends and foe. Mosley is a winner. If you can't learn from him, you aren't listening.

While this book was initially entertaining and relatively engaging, I felt that it drifted further from any sort of objective examination of ethics as it went on. While I did not agree with Socrates in The Apology, I could understand and respect his preceived duty to obey the law, but as he began to philosophize about the soul and its properties it seemed that he was building his elaborate castle on shifting ground. His love of analogies eventually leads him away from reality. He seems unable to understand that analogies are not always appropriate and that sometimes they can be flawed. Yes, much of what Socrates said forms the basis for many important institutions, but for the average person with an interest in philosophy, I thought this was tedious and often rather irrelevant.

As Socrates abstained from recording his philosophies, we must thank Plato for having the insight to preserve Socratic thoughts for posterity. As a student of Socrates, it seems that Plato, through his own writings, attempts to preserve the memory of his well respected teacher.
In The Last Days of Socrates, Plato begins with Euthyphro and we see the Socratic method in action. Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the nature of piety, and through a serious of thought provoking questions, Socrates argues for what he feels is the proper relationship between Man and God.
Next, Plato discusses the trial of Socrates by the Athenian aristocracy. Again, we see Socrates using his rhetorical skills in illustrating the hypocrisy and prejudice pervading throughout the Athenian government. Socrates discusses what role a good citizen should play in government. He announces his being a "gadfly" on the hide of the establishment, and we also find Socrates exposing his own intelligence by claiming that he, in fact, knows very little. The Apology is by far my personal favorite section of the book.
After Socrates conviction, we find him discussing the morality of obeying or breaking laws in Crito. He meets with one of his close friends and the two discuss Socrates' options in regard to his death sentence. Here we see Socrates espouse the belief that it is acceptable to break an unjust law, however, one must also accept the consequences for breaking said law in order to preserve the stability of society.
The Last Days of Socrates tackles many complex issues which are as relevant today as they were when first committed to paper in the 4th century B.C. This should be standard reading for any introductory course in political theory, and a must have for anyone interested in philosophy or ethics.

All I have to say is... amazing. Socrates was an incredible philosopher and Plato was an incredible writer... together they make an unbeatable combination.
This is an excellent book for both people who are already familiar with Socrates and for those who would like to become familiar with Socrates.
Socrates sets down principles for life that, in a perfect world, everyone would follow... always questioning your actions and your ideas, trying to get to the root of knowledge and eliminating inconsistencies and contradictions in your logic, dedicating yourself to knowledge and truth rather than pursuing selfish things like money and flesh. This is a book that can help you in many areas of your life and I highly recommend it.

Walter Moseley is a rare gem of a writer and thinker in an age of relativism. He uses his magnificent character Socrates Fortlow to ask the big questions--what does it mean to live a moral life? What's more, Moseley uses inner city LA to ask if such a life is possible in a setting of poverty and crime. Socrates Fortlow is one of the most compelling literary characters I've encountered in a long time and while I enjoyed "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" more, "Walkin' the Dog" finds a more complicated Socrates than the first time around. Moseley is a wonderful writer with an omniverously curious mind. It's a rewarding read.

Socrates Fortlow returns in Walter Mosley's second collection of stories about the ex-con trying to find his place and beliefs in a radically changed world now that he's out of prison. "Always Outnmubered, Always Outgunned" introduced the not-so-gentle giant and found a ready audience in Mosley fans and a new audience seduced by Socrates' coming to terms with his new life and learning to understand who is he is in relation to it. The dozen stories here deal with his slow progress into a post-modern world, sometimes against his will - he is a man who resists even getting a telephone because he is afraid it will make him too available and possibly vulnerable. But away from prison for a long enough time, eventually his defenses begin to transform, as in the church discussion group he joins where he discovers real hope within. This is a fascinating journal of one man's spiritual journey that reflects many of today's hot button issues, and makes me eager to see where Mosley will take the admirable Socrates Fortlow next.

...and his "Walkin' The Dog" sequel to "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" confirms it. Mr. Mosley does what seems to be lacking in other Afro-American writers: he is able to instantly add details to his story without giving you the feeling that you missed something. In "Walkin' The Dog," Mr. Mosley provides a deeper glimpse into Socrates Fortlow, to understand this seemingly violent character. Socrates thinks he has nothing to offer society because of his past incarceration, but he is a determined, hard-working man, and his profound insight makes those who know or meet him rethink their purpose in life. Socrates takes care of his neighborhood, seeing things that no one wants to see or what others choose to ignore. In the end, and although he certainly is not seeking acceptance from others, he attains a degree of respect, success, and friendship because of his attitude and convictions.

If only there were more men like Socrates in this world, even with his less-than-desirable background. Thank you, Mr. Mosley, for sharing your talent with us. You are able to create, through your writing, complex relationships and to convey them expertly. I hope you continue to write, and I will continue to read your work.

Plato's The Republic, is not only a classic work of the fourth century B.C., but a masterpiece of utopian literature as a whole. Mr. Lee's translation brings into light the political and poetical wisdom of Plato into English from the original Greek. In The Republic, Plato raises questions that are still at the heart of many modern conflicts and heated debates. What is justice? What is goodness? What is the right political authority? Plato examines these questions as aspects of a single theme. He offers a portrait of an ideal state in which power is entrusted to the philosopher king(s), and other men and women accept the authority of the wise and the good. If no one has read The Republic, then he or she has not read anything!

In the "Republic," Plato may or may not have accomplished what he set out to do, which is to define justice and prove that it is superior to injustice, irregardless of either's consequences. However, what he DID do is set the foundation for over two thousand years of thought. Read this work slowly; within each of the seemingly-simple discussions there is a world of though to be discovered. Anyone with the least bit of background in philosophical readings can literally read page-by-page, discovering the sources of many of the greatest philosophers of all-time. The "Republic" is not so much a work of literature as it is an explosion of thought; a ten-book brainstorm of one of the greatest minds of all-time. By the work's end, whether or not you feel Socrates to have successfully answered Glaucon's challenge is almost irrelevant, for the argument will have already left your mind reeling.

Plato's "Republic" is probably the most important work in the history of Western Philosophy, or atleast I believe it is. The reader can literally flip from page to page counting how many subsequent philosphies arose from interpretations of the words on each page. Of all Western Philosophers, Plato was one of the greatest writers. Even though some readers may find the dialogue style exhausting, I find it enjoyable because it turns the real-life participants in the arguments into literary characters who can, at times, be quite humorous. All literary merits aside, the overabundance of profound thoughts to be found in "The Republic" make it a must-read for anyone who likes to think.

The pleasure of Plato is as much from his literary as from his philosophical acumen. The choice of the public-domain Jowett translation is unhappy for bringing out the literary merit of the original. This Victorian prose, while usually competent as translation, does not ring true to the original and certainly does nothing for the late 20th century American ear. One wonders why the set is so expensive when the translation was had for nothing. And why doesn't Amazon print the contents of these cassettes in their bibliographical information. Does one have to buy the set to find out exactly what its contents are>

This Bantam Classics edition presents, through translations by different sources, eight of Plato's "early" dialogues, all involving Socrates, his apotheosized master. Written in the form of question-and-answer sessions, these dialogues profile a man in a continuous quest for the truth, even when he is awaiting his execution, and demonstrate a particular system of gathering information and building knowledge, a system that is nothing less than the foundation of Western thought.

The oracle at Delphi stated that Socrates was the wisest of men because he knew that his wisdom was paltry -- unlike the Sophists, who not only thought they could teach things like virtue and "excellence" to the youth of Athens but also charged money for their tutelage. Since Socrates admits to knowing nothing, he gains all his knowledge through inquiry, deferring to his interlocutors' presumed knowledge, often using sarcasm with the Sophists. His questions commonly use logic of the form "If A is the same as B and B is the opposite of C, isn't A the opposite of C?"

Socrates saw himself as a "gadfly" to Athenian society, always seeking truth -- an absolute truth, as opposed to the moral relativism taught by the Sophists and practiced by the Athenians. His basic interest was inquiring of the way a man should live his life, one conclusion being that to suffer is better than to cause suffering, since the immortal soul is judged constantly by the gods.

Some of the arguments might seem specious to the modern reader, but the importance of reading the dialogues is not necessarily to agree with any particular argument presented but to observe an intensely systematic and organized method of gaining knowledge through interrogatory dialogue. First-hand experience tells me that asking and answering questions is a better way to learn than listening to a one-sided lecture, and reading Plato's Socratic recollections confirms my opinion.

Unfortunately, the public school system of America has eradicated all courses relative to developing a student's ability to reason, and reason well. Rhetoric,and the 'Socratic Method' were essential parts of a collegiate student's curriculum in medieval Europe, and the universities of America would not be remiss in re-introducing this dynamic type of verbal intercourse today.