Rather than questioning the world, Socrates believed that we would be better off questioning ourselves. What do we really know? Socrates placed philosophy on a solid foundation of reasoning, but his insistence upon questioning accepted truths would finally prove his undoing. In 399BC he was tried by the people of Athens and sentenced to death for impiety.
These witty and informative guides cover the lives and ideas of the major philosophers. Award-winning author Paul Strathern's concise and easily comprehensible style highlights the major advances in philosophy, as well as the men who conceived them and the times in which they lived.
Packed with striking quotes, insights and anecdotes, the aim of the 'Virgin Philosophers' series is to clarify the mysteries of philosophy for the general reader.
