{"product_id":"open-socrates-the-case-for-a-philosophical-life-9781324123415","title":"Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life","description":"\u003cp\u003eSocrates has been hiding in plain sight. We call him the father of Western philosophy, but what exactly are his philosophical views? He is famous for his humility, but readers often find him arrogant and condescending. We parrot his claim that \"the unexamined life is not worth living,\" yet take no steps to live examined ones. We know that he was tried, convicted, and executed for \"corrupting the youth,\" but freely assign Socratic dialogues to today's youths, to introduce them to philosophy. We've lost sight of what made him so dangerous. In \u003cem\u003eOpen Socrates\u003c\/em\u003e, acclaimed philosopher Agnes Callard recovers the radical move at the center of Socrates' thought, and shows why it is still the way to a good life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCallard draws our attention to Socrates' startling discovery that we don't know how to ask ourselves the most important questions--about how we should live, and how we might change. Before a person even has a chance to reflect, their bodily desires or the forces of social conformity have already answered on their behalf. To ask the most important questions, we need help. Callard argues that the true ambition of the famous \"Socratic method\" is to reveal what one human being can be to another. You can use another person in many ways--for survival, for pleasure, for comfort--but you are engaging them to the fullest when you call on them to help answer your questions and challenge your answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCallard shows that Socrates' method allows us to make progress in thinking about how to manage romantic love, how to confront one's own death, and how to approach politics. In the process, she gives us nothing less than a new ethics to live by.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Agnes Callard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.21h x 5.41w x 1.11d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781324123415\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCallard, Agnes:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eAgnes Callard\u003c\/strong\u003e is an American philosopher and an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago. She has written for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHarper's\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePoint\u003c\/em\u003e, and others. She lives in Chicago.","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Agnes Callard \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47566673576093,"sku":"9781324123415","price":39.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_98f23212-77a2-4a05-b59a-5e02148fc18b.jpg?v=1768314643","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/open-socrates-the-case-for-a-philosophical-life-9781324123415","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}