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Rating: 
Summary: This book should not have been published
Review: Chris Taylor has produced an apalling book. Impossible to read, convoluted and meandering, 'Socrates' appears designed to make philosophy less accessible to the average reader than more. It is strange that Oxford would publish such a jargon-filled book as an introduction. Most of the text deals with Socrates' background and his historical context. This is fine in theory, but leaves little space to explain the philosopher's work. When Taylor finally gets around to Socrates' position, he seems to assume that the reader has a full understanding of the philosophical lines of thought of the time (eg. the sophists, the cynics). I finished the book having no idea of the meaning of Socrates' key belief, that "knowledge is virtue". Taylor uses visual language that confuses rather than clarifies his arguments, such as "a keystone of the arch". The conclusion is a good example of Taylor's absurd style: "Every age has to recreate its own Socrates. What is his significance for a post-Christian, post-idealist epoch for whom neiher the figure of a precursor of Christ nor that of the embodiment of the world-spirit in its development of a higher form of consciousness has any meaning?"
Rating:
Summary: This Classicist Does Not "Get It."
Review: Like so many classicists, Taylor's writing style will repel all but the most pedantic scholar. Instead of a book that engages general readers as well as scholars (it is possible to do both), this book is a dry summary. Taylor's narrow, unimaginative approach fails to capture the greatness of Socrates. The book also does not provide the historical context of ancient Athens that is important in understanding Socrates, the most inspiring philosopher in history. Interest in the classics has declined considerably in recent years. Sadly, this book will only contribute to the decline.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Introduction to Socratic Philosophy
Review: Most of the books in the Past Masters series serve as excellent introductions to the profound insights and complex ideas produced by humanity's greatest thinkers. Cristopher Taylor's edition on Socrates is no exception. Perhaps the most important philosopher in history, the thoughts of Socrates remain as valuable today as they were more than two thousand years ago. Many of Socrates' ideas still serve as the foundation of much modern thought and retain the power to stimulate the most critical of intellects. Taylor does an excellent job of describing the many important aspects of both Socrates' life and his ideas. The book provides a short biography, examines the validity and reliability of what his contemporaries wrote about him (Socrates wrote nothing himself), examines his influence on Plato while exploring the distinctions between the two great thinkers, and provides a thorough and enlightening summation of Socrates' main ideas (especially in regards to ethics). This book should serve as an enjoyable and informative read for both the casual reader and the philosophical enthusiast.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for those with a background in philosophy.
Review: Taylor's SOCRATES is detailed and scholarly, and a useful work for those who have already had a fair amount of exposure to the Platonic dialogues. However, its level of technicality is liable to confuse and frustrate beginners, who just want a readable overview of who Socrates was and what he taught. Even these readers will benefit from the first chapter, which discusses the life of Socrates, but the following chapters, which deal with his thought and influence, will be heavy-going for the average reader. As such, this book is recommended to philosophers, but really is too advanced to qualify as a standard introduction.
Rating: 
Summary: Too difficult for an introduction
Review: This is the fifth Very Short Introduction I've read (others included Logic, Ancient Philosophy, Anthropology, and Sociology) and it is the first that wasn't fun to read. I think Taylor's style is too academic for a series like this. Sentences like "I do not wish to suggest that Plato had a clear grasp of the distinction between purely conceptual definitions and the substantive type of account exemplified by the cognitive theory" (60) require entirely too much examination and prior knowledge of the subject to be considered introductory material for most people reading without tutelage. And there are plenty of more detailed books alraedy available that are written in that style.I do not wish to suggest that I'm an idiot, but I do look for something a bit more breezy in an introduction to a topic. I think many people turn to introductions because the original works can sometimes be a slog to read. I choose carefully which original works I'm going to make the effort to read, and I want introductions to material that will either a) bring me up to speed on things I don't have the time to read, b) give me basic information to choose more wisely which works to read or c) expand works I've already read. Having already read The Republic, I found that none of these 3 goals was accomplished by this volume. Its a shame, too, because VSI has been by far and away my favorite series of introductions. I hope they rethink this Socrates introduction and publish a new one aimed at a more general audience.
Rating:
Summary: Too difficult for an introduction
Review: This is the fifth Very Short Introduction I've read (others included Logic, Ancient Philosophy, Anthropology, and Sociology) and it is the first that wasn't fun to read. I think Taylor's style is too academic for a series like this. Sentences like "I do not wish to suggest that Plato had a clear grasp of the distinction between purely conceptual definitions and the substantive type of account exemplified by the cognitive theory" (60) require entirely too much examination and prior knowledge of the subject to be considered introductory material for most people reading without tutelage. And there are plenty of more detailed books alraedy available that are written in that style. I do not wish to suggest that I'm an idiot, but I do look for something a bit more breezy in an introduction to a topic. I think many people turn to introductions because the original works can sometimes be a slog to read. I choose carefully which original works I'm going to make the effort to read, and I want introductions to material that will either a) bring me up to speed on things I don't have the time to read, b) give me basic information to choose more wisely which works to read or c) expand works I've already read. Having already read The Republic, I found that none of these 3 goals was accomplished by this volume. Its a shame, too, because VSI has been by far and away my favorite series of introductions. I hope they rethink this Socrates introduction and publish a new one aimed at a more general audience.
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