Socrates is one of the most significant of the classic Greek philosophers, and in many respects he is justly considered to be the father of western philosophy. This high esteem in which he is held comes primarily from the works of Plato, the most important of all of Socrates' followers and disciples, and a giant of philosophy in his own right. Socrates never set out to write down any of his own ideas and thoughts, instead devoting all of his philosophical activity to public lectures and discussions. These discussions in particular have left a memorable impression on Socrates' followers. Plato has immortalized them in his writing, and all of the reasoning that he employed was in form of these "Socratic dialogues." Nonetheless, it is never entirely clear how much of the words that Plato attributed to Socrates were really his own, and to what extent did Plato use a figure of Socrates as a narrative and polemical device. As already mentioned, Socrates never wrote anything himself, and there are only a few other contemporary sources that strove to record any of his pronouncements or ideas. In that regard, "Memorable Thoughts of Socrates" by Xenophon is an invaluable source of information.
Xenophon was a soldier, mercenary and historian, and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates. "Memorable Thoughts of Socrates" was motivated in part with the desire to clear Socrates' name after his very famous death and trial. Xenophon wanted to set the record straight, and by example of Socrates' own words demonstrate that contrary to the charges that were brought against him, Socrates was in fact a strong positive moral force in the civic life of Athens. The book is built up out of various dialogues that Socrates engaged in, and the reader familiar with Plato's writings will immediately recognize the characteristic patter of back-and-forth argument. This lands added credibility to Plato's own accounts, especially since the "thoughts" that are presented here seem to be more or less the same ones that are presented in Plato's accounts, albeit they tend to be somewhat less sophisticated and not as exhaustive in their analysis as those in Plato's works. Socrates concerns involve the proper understanding of basic ethical ideas, the limits of knowledge, the relation of individuals in a society to each other and to the state, etc. Xenophon's Socrates also comes across as a more lively and relatable figure, and not so much as an ideal abstract interlocutor. Some of the Socrates' thoughts are in fact sayings and proverbs, not unlike those of, say, Confucius. In this respect "Memorable Thoughts of Socrates" could be viewed as a form of "wisdom literature," although it is definitely much more than that. It is definitely a very insightful book that will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of ideas.
