Xanthippic Dialogues

by Roger Scruton

In Plato's dialogues, an idealized Socrates expounds the ideas for which Plato will, until the end of history, be famous. The world of Forms; the ideal Republic with its totalitarian masterplan; the tribute to Eros, god of love (or at least of homosexual love); the promise of the soul's salvation -- all this has come down to us in the distinctive tone of voice of Plato's teacher. But how much of it did Socrates believe? Were Plato's contemporaries really taken in? And what lay behind his philosophy, from which the real world of men and women was so rigorously excluded? Until the discovery of the Xanthippic Inquiries, we had no answer to those questions. Now at last the real Plato is revealed to us, by the women whom he banished from his arguments. In this brilliant and witty expose, the mask of abstraction is lifted, to reveal the truth that lies beneath. And the truth is wife of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, and Founding Mother of the Western world. This is a book that no feminist can afford to ignore.

Genres: Philosophy

283 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 1994

About the author

Sir Roger Scruton was a writer and philosopher who has published more than forty books in philosophy, aesthetics and politics. He was a fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He taught in both England and America and was a Visiting Professor at Department of Philosophy and Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, he was also a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington D.C.

In 2015 he published two books, The Disappeared and later in the autumn, Fools Frauds and Firebrands. Fools Frauds and Firebrands is an update of Thinkers of the New Left published, to widespread outrage, in 1986. It includes new chapters covering Lacan, Deleuze and Badiou and some timely thoughts about the historians and social thinkers who led British intellectuals up the garden path during the last decades, including Eric Hobsbawm and Ralph Miliband.

In 2016 he again published two books, Confessions of A Heretic (a collection of essays) and The Ring of Truth, about Wagner’s Ring cycle, which was widely and favourably reviewed. In 2017 he published On Human Nature (Princeton University Press), which was again widely reviewed, and contains a distillation of his philosophy. He also published a response to Brexit, Where We Are (Bloomsbury).

Reviews

[Rhian Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a student of Greek and Latin I was incredibly excited by this book, and as I discovered on finishing it my excitement was well justified. A satirical take on Plato and Socrates and on reading the introduction, one discovers that the book has quite a historical journey; meticulously researched but not overdone, it is a marvel. The book, beyond discussing philosophy, gives a unique insight into the classical world in an engaging way. The turns of phrase, the setting, the action all feed into our understanding of what it was like in ancient times; Scruton has done his utmost to capture what it means to be a Greek as well as to discuss various philosophical questions.

His accessible and appealing writing style makes for easy reading and whilst I perhaps have taken for granted that I am acquainted with the classical world, I would deem it is incredibly absorbing; at times I forgot this book was even academic as I had become so engrossed within the narrative and interactions between characters. The idea of characters is another fundamental point to the brilliance of this book, Scruton has created people that are not only relatable but engaging: the best example of this was the interaction between Plato and his mother where he appears as ridiculous and comical as he throws a tantrum at Perictione. Scruton's command of English, Greek, Latin and general knowledge translate to this being a fantastic book and one I recommend to anyone.

[Persephone Abbott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book published in 1993, as one might imagine, was another one of my thrift store finds. Although I am not schooled in “classics” I thought, through curiosity, that I might have a go at it. I understood that this piece of “philosophical fiction” was in part a modern, more casual, somewhat satirical take on Socrates and Plato, using the backstage premise of Socrates’ wife Xanthippe. After I read the first 50 pages, it became quite apparent to me that I did not have enough information on Socrates or Plato to quite get the twists and turns of the book. I therefore, submitted my mind to Yale’s Online Open Education Program and followed the excellent “Introduction to Political Philosophy” which touched on Socrates and Plato. After listening to 24 lectures I felt confident enough to start the book again. “Xanthippic Dialogues” reads in many ways like a BBC sit com for nerdy classics majors, and despite the use of domestic familiarity and at times rather lame fantasy scenes I find it does have its moments, of course because it’s a book that contemplates the “what if” factors….

[Willem van der Scheun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, and making Plato a bit (well, maybe more than a bit) ridiculous, which is good. The two dialogues featuring Xanthippe were truly enjoyable, the first with Socrates ("my dear Socks"), the last with Plato at Socrates' grave, and with guest appearances of a very young Aristoteles. Interesting to read how Plato was influenced by Shakespeare and Xanthippe by i.a. Wittgenstein.The concluding symposium was a bit overdone I think. I enjoyed these pastiches, but got irritated by the negative parts about homosexuality. That was a blemish and unnecessary.