On his daily walks through Athens Socrates talks to all the people he meets. Know yourself! Don’t chase after riches, become a philosopher and look for the truth! The citizens of Athens hate him for it. They arrest him and drag him to court. He is condemned to die by drinking a cup of poisonous hemlock. What should he do, should he flee? Should a philosopher fear death?

For those who look for truth:
On the origins of Western philosophy
"I know one thing - that I know nothing! Know yourself!"

Yann Le Bras, Jean Paul Mongin
The Death of Socrates
Translated to English by Anna Sreet
64 pages, hardcover, 64 illustrations in color
ISBN 978-3-03734-544-3
€ 14,95 / CHF 20,00

Available August 2015

Socrates

470–399 BC

Socrates lived in Athens at the time of the Athenian democracy. He did not leave any written texts; his ideas and his teaching were brought to us via the works of his most famous disciple, Plato. One day he was accused of blasphemy and of corrupting the youth with his philosophical ideas. He was condemned to death by drinking a cup of poisonous hemlock.

Socrates used to philosophize in public. Surrounded by his disciples, in lively conversation, he strolled up and down the Agora, the market and central gathering place of Athens. He presented himself as the most ignorant of ignoramuses - he lured people into endless discussions by stubbornly asking new questions when they wanted to know something, inducing them to find the answers themselves.

"We cannot help but see Socrates as the turning-point, the vortex of world history." (Friedrich Nietzsche)

"I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates." (Steve Jobs)

"Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder." (Socrates)

For those who look for truth: On the origins of Western philosophy "I know one thing - that I know nothing! Know yourself!"

Socrates

For those who look for truth:
On the origins of Western philosophy
"I know one thing - that I know nothing! Know yourself!"