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How to Think Like Socrates

Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life

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About this listen

Read by the author, Donald J. Robertson.

'One of the best books ever written on the power and practicality of philosophy for building a good and successful life' Tom Morris, bestselling author of Plato's Lemonade Stand and Stoicism for Dummies

How can we apply the teachings of the greatest ancient philosopher to modern life?

Socrates is the most famous ancient philosopher and the father of the entire Western philosophical tradition. He spent his life teaching practical philosophy to ordinary people in the streets of Athens, yet his work has largely been left to gather dust in academia – until now.

How to Think Like Socrates is an entertaining and informative primer on the life of the great thinker – and the first book to focus on applying his ideas to our daily lives. Author Donald Robertson transports readers back to the streets of ancient Athens, expertly weaving together a page-turning account of the visionary man who eschewed material pleasures and stood by his beliefs, even in the face of controversy, with a steadfastness that ultimately resulted in his execution.

How to Think Like Socrates highlights the continuing importance of the four cardinal virtues of Greek philosophy: wisdom; justice; courage; temperance. As a practising cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist, Robertson also uses his expertise to reveal the many ways in which the evidence-based concepts and techniques of modern psychology can trace their roots back to Socrates and shows how his philosophical insights can guide and benefit all of us to this day.

'Engagingly written and highly accessible, especially innovative in highlighting the significance of Socratic philosophy for modern readers' Chris Gill, Professor Emeritus of Ancient Thought, Exeter University

 Ethics & Morality Greek & Roman History Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Stoicism

Critic reviews

One of the best books ever written on the power and practicality of philosophy for a good and successful life! Wisdom isn’t a rulebook but a mindset. It develops from a life of honest and courageous inquiry. Donald J. Robertson masterfully and vividly takes us back to the Athens of Socrates and recreates the setting as well as the powerful ideas that one place, time, and person launched into the world forever. It’s an introduction to philosophy as a way of life that’s as gripping as any novel, and is as novel as a philosophy book can be. Highly recommended! (Tom Morris, author of Stoicism for Dummies; If Aristotle Ran General Motors; The Oasis Within and Plato's Lemonade Stand)
Robertson creates a wonderful semi-fictionalized Socrates to introduce modern readers to the birth of philosophy in Athens. We experience firsthand the method Socrates made famous-of subjecting our deepest beliefs to a cross-examination that jolts and stings like an electric ray. In our modern world that swirls with half-truths and disinformation, we need nothing less to awaken us from our illusions (Nancy Sherman, author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience)
An intriguing and original book, engagingly written and highly accessible. It is innovative both in linking the Socratic dialogues, especially those of Plato, with their historical context and in highlighting the significance of Socratic philosophical enquiry for modern readers. The connection made between Socratic method and CBT psychotherapeutic guidance is particularly suggestive (Chris Gill, Professor Emeritus of Ancient Thought, Exeter University, and author of Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and its Modern Significance)
All stars
Most relevant
The book is a captivating listen . Easy to listen to. bringing the historical teachings of a great thinker to life, within the historical backdrop of the Athenian wars. Transporting the listener back in time , and translating what happens for a modern listener. Thankyou for creating this wonderful book.

A thoroughly captivating an enlightening listen.

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This book has opened my eyes to the relevance of ancient wisdom in the modern world. Socrates’ is my man crush. Wonderful book.

Wonderful

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Donald Robertson is a great author, historian and philosopher. This book was simple and easy to follow but with a few profound moments. I enjoyed it but definitely preferred his book on Thinking like a Roman Emporer

Interesting story. I feel more clued up on Socrates’ character and philosophy

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Donald is a master storyteller and rigorous historian. I now understand what being Socrates was like, making it easier to attempt modeling my thoughts to his worldview.
I loved this book. Thanks, Donald for your tireless work in helping us be better people.

Captivating!

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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor was a great work by Donald, that I have read several times over. I was hoping this would be a rinse and repeat with a different Great from the past. Unfortunately, this piece fell flat with me.

The nuggets of wisdom I sought were sparingly dusted between a fragmented and semi-fictionalised history of the Peloponnesian War from the perspective of a few characters in the story. Many times I caught myself questioning why I was being given an overview of battles and trireme counts; this is not what was advertised to me. I suspect a good 40%+ of the book could be cut without losing what I was paying for. The lines drawn to link this filler information with the wisdom I was seeking were tenuous at best.

But what really irritated me was that Donald employed exaggerated characterisation biases and loaded language in dialogue, using terms like "sneered", "snorted", and “hissed” to depict Socrates' interlocutors as foolish or arrogant. This rhetorical bias (the very thing he warns us against at times) is a cheap attempt to shape the reader's perception, that undermines the philosophical depth by reducing opposing characters to caricatures/strawmen rather than presenting them as genuine intellectual foils.

I really wanted to give this work 3*, but am aware that the baggage I carry from How to Think like a Roman Emperor was clouding my judgement. As a standalone piece and ignoring my expectations, it is a well written and read story that pulls you long. But it loses a star because I felt misled by the title.

Could cut perhaps 40% of this away without losing substance. Good nevertheless.

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