Xenophon

Xenophon's philosophical works have long lived under the shadow of those of his brilliant and contemporary fellow student of Socrates, Plato. They both wrote an Apology and a Symposium , and though few would deny that Plato was the more profound and original philosopher, Xenophon's contribution has been unjustly ignored. Xenophon's philosophical works have long lived under the shadow of those of his brilliant and contemporary fellow student of Socrates, Plato. They both wrote an Apology and a Symposium , and though few would deny that Plato was the more profound and original philosopher, Xenophon's contribution has been unjustly ignored. His writings are of wider scope than Plato's, and encompass history and technical treatises as well as philosophy. They are particularly distinguished by their simplicity of style and approachability. The two works included here both concern the last days of Socrates and are a vivid portrait of the life and thought of the great man.