This really does not come across in any of the works here. The other thing you know about Socrates is that he was the guy who said, “All I know is that I know nothing.” Which, of course, is the other explanation for all the questions. He dispenses wisdom – and often that wisdom is a bit too much like Dr Phil. Xenophon’s Socrates, particularly in the Memoirs (but elsewhere too), talks too much in homilies for my taste.

His questions are designed to lead those being questioned towards the truth – towards a kind of uncovering. To Plato’s Socrates one must essentially find information out for one’s self.

The point of the questioning is that Socrates believes that truth is about ‘revealing’ – in the sense of showing what is already there to be found to show. One must be that he asks lots of questions – now, I know, even in Plato those questions are pointed, directed and intended to lead pretty much in one direction – but at least that is how he works. Think about the things you really know about Socrates. This was something that was mentioned in one of the introductions, but I really would have noticed this myself. In fact, Socrates is much too ‘preachy’ in Xenophon. I was very surprised by how little this was used by Xenophon in any of these works. The thing that would have to be removed from his resume – or CV if you prefer – would be his Socratic Method, or the dialectical process of truth through questioning. It would seem very unlikely that we would still consider him the central figure at the birth of Western Idealist philosophy if all that was left of him were the descriptions in Xenophon’s rather patchy works. I kept wondering if Plato’s works had not survived what would we have made of Socrates. To be honest, I think I enjoyed the introductions to these four works more than the works themselves.

Now, after reading this, I think I need to say that Plato’s Socrates is my hero. Both of them still are just as likely to begin a sentence with, “Dad, I’ve got a question” and both know they will, if they begin a sentence in that way, be guaranteed my undivided attention. Socrates has always been a hero of mine, when the daughters were very young I told them the story of his death and told them that he died asking questions and his death therefore meant their birthright was to be able to ask questions.

Xenophon conversations of socrates