Socrates and Self-Knowledge

In this book the first systematic study of Socrates'' reflections on self-knowledge Christopher Moore examines the ancient precept ''Know yourself'' and drawing on Plato Aristophanes Xenophon and others reconstructs and reassesses the arguments about self-examination personal ideals and moral maturity at the heart of the Socratic project. What has been thought to be a purely epistemological or metaphysical inquiry turns out to be deeply ethical intellectual and social. Knowing yourself is more than attending to your beliefs discerning the structure of your soul or recognizing your ignorance - it is constituting yourself as a self who can be guided by knowledge toward the good life. This is neither a wholly introspective nor a completely isolated pursuit: we know and constitute ourselves best through dialogue with friends and critics. This rich and original study will be of interest to researchers in the philosophy of Socrates selfhood and ancient thought.