Devra Lehmann - Socrates: A Life Worth Living

Attic Red-Figure Cup
Fragment, Greek,
ca. 470450 BCE.
Attributed to the
Akestorides Painter. J.
Paul Getty Museum.
Image courtesy of the
Gettys Open Content
Program.

I am grateful to the many socratic midwives to this book. First are my students, who have shown me again and again their passion for meaningful discussions about big ideasas well as their need for books to help them navigate our rich intellectual heritage. Next are the many people who have been my own guides. Tirosh Feldman kept me challenged and helped me identify what I was trying to say. Karen Klockner responded to my disastrous first drafts with her magnificent blend of compassion and honesty. Debra Nails graced me with her breathtaking erudition and exactitude, providing me with a wealth of source material, answering my endless questions, and setting me right where I went wrong. Geoff Bakewell, Mark Anderson, and Yona Gonopolsky contributed articles, advice, expertise, and encouragement, and Sylvie Dumont patiently explained the ins and outs of using images from the generous collection of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Andy Ross, my agent, was energetic in finding my work a home at Seven Stories, where Dan Simon, Ruth Weiner, and Lauren Hooker greeted it warmly. Lauren is the superb reader that every writer wants in an editor. She asked just the right questions, ferreted out the inconsistencies, and polished out the roughness. Conor OBrien copyedited with an acuity that saved me from many an excess, ambiguity, and stupid mistake; Beth Kessler and Stewart Cauley gave the finished work a beautiful, bold design; and Tal Mancini proofread with patience and care.

Friends and family have contributed in more subtle but no less important ways. I treasure long walks and good talks over knitting and coffee with many wonderful companions. Your friendship has provided sustenance and sanity, especially as the certainties of youth have receded. Hindy, you have also contributed your photographic skills, and I thank you once again for your help. Danny, Roni, Ariella, Matanel, J.J., Naama, and Noam, you warm me with your love and keep me on my toes with the ping-pong of your discussions and the zaniness of your humor. Omer, Eyal, Nehara, and Aluma, I hope that you will always see the world through your bright, curious eyes. Maybe one day youll read Bubbys books. Mom, I hope that you enjoy this fruit of your many sacrifices, and Gil, thanks for your priceless attempts at rap and your pride in your little sister. Ron, it all begins and ends with you.

In e. e. cummingss beautiful words, my father, Asher Sorrel Wolfe, was a man who lived his soul. He died just as I began writing my first draft, and I felt his presence at every stage of the work. He is the person to whom I am most indebted for my love of reading, writing, and thinking, and I have dedicated this book to his memory.

Mainland Greece and the Aegean, with inset of Attica