About the Author

Thomas L. Pangle is the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies and codirector of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas at the University of Texas at Austin. His many books include, most recently, The Socratic Way of Life, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Reviews

Unlike his book on the Memorabilia, the structure of Pangle's Socrates Founding Political Philosophy does not strictly follow the structure of Xenophon's works. Pangle devotes six chapters to the Economist, Pangle's thought-provoking translation of the title of the work more commonly known simply by its Greek title, Oeconomicus, the Xenophontic text that he says portrays Socrates founding the science of economics; he then offers one chapter each to the Symposium and to the Apology of Socrates to the Jury. The book also includes a compelling, informative appendix containing Pangle's preliminary observations on the similarities and contrasts between Plato's and Xenophon's presentations of Socrates. There is much to learn from this short piece.
-- "The Review of Politics"

"A companion volume to Pangle's recent study of Xenophon's Memorabilia, Socrates Founding Political Philosophy in Xenophon's "Economist," "Symposium," and "Apology" completes his study of the four writings Xenophon devoted to his philosophic teacher, Socrates. Together they constitute a tour de force of genuinely philosophic engagement with the texts. It is exceedingly rare to encounter the combination on display here of philological exactness, command of the secondary literature, and a truly philosophical depth. A remarkable accomplishment that will bring Xenophon the philosopher to a new generation of students and scholars."--Robert C. Bartlett, Boston College