David M. Timmerman

Isocrates was definitely worth reading. Granted, it's not the typical Philosophy I read. Indeed, some might not even call Isocrates a philosopher. He is occasionally grouped among the Sophists. He was a student of Gorgias, so there is some warrant for the label of "Sophist." But Isocrates also distanced himself from much that passed as sophistry. He is also an early example of "rhetoric" and "oratory." He is actually classed with the so-called "Ten Attic Orators." There is no question, however, that Isocrates considered what he was doing as "Philosophy." Maybe if his definition of Philosophy had become more normative than Plato's--his contemporary--maybe it wouldn't be at all odd to consider it as valid Philosophy. He did, after all, have some association with Socrates.

It must be stated that many readers of Philosophy may not be all that interested in Isocrates. He would be much more appealing to students of world history in general and Greek history in particular. Although his prose has ethical dimensions, it is more often akin to what we would today call political commentary (which now doubles as activism as it did for Isocrates). Isocrates is profoundly nationalistic. He looks for the benefit and betterment of the Greek city states and that is his primary concern; especially of Athens. One would almost certainly consider his political disposition as conservative: he is pro-constitution, pro-tradition, nationalistic, patriotic, anti-tyranny, pro-free speech, etc. That being said, he wasn't opposed to voicing criticism when he thought Athens was missing the mark of a high historical standard. He really considered the goal of philosophy to have practical ends; which usually means political ends. While, as I said, a lot of his references are a matter of historical record and consequence, he does have some great quotes, and I tried to note a number of them.

I read all the English translations of Isocrates' works here and the accompanying commentary. I skimmed through the selections in the original Greek, because, while I am familiar with the Greek characters, pronunciation and various words, I'm far from being lexically fluent.

I do recommend Isocrates to people who have more than just a passing interest in Philosophy, but I also strongly recommend him to people who are interested in Hellenistic history as well. He is a contemporary witness to many important events in the history of Greece.… (plus d'informations)