Xenophon, (430-c.354 BC) Athenian peer of Plato and fellow student of Socrates, is known for his philosophical writings including Anabasis, Cyropoedia, and Memorobilia. Xenophon wrote extensively on the domestic economy in his Economist and defined the duties of a wife therein (the overseer of the home and children) and marriage as a “partnership ordained by the gods.” Not much is known about the life of Xenophon after his education. It is, however, recorded that Xenophon served as a mercenary in Cyrus’ army. After he returned to Greece, Xenophon joined Spartan General Thibron and fought his own city-state of Athens, for the Spartan king, at the Battle of Coronea. For this crime against his home state, he was banished from Athens and lived on property provided by the Spartans near Olympia. Xenophon’s banishment was revoked and he died in 354 BC. While Xenophon was born and raised in Athens, he was familiar with the two groups the Athenians themselves considered their enemies: Spartans and Non-Greeks. He had lived in this city and out in the country. He had been a soldier, a mercenary, and an exile. He was familiar with kings as well as slaves. This myriad of life experiences enabled him to accurately depict the different aspects of Athenian domestic economy. The Economist by Xenophon is a Socratic dialogue that focuses on household management and agriculture. It is one of the earliest written works on economics and a significant source for the culture and history of Athens. The facets of economics he specifically discusses are the division of labor between men and women in a household, market value, and education. The opening dialogue is between Socrates and Critoboulus, the son of Crito, who also had works wri...
... middle of paper ...
...f the ancient Greek ideology of power. Strauss took The Economist as a more “ironic examination” of the nature of virtue in domestic relationships. Xenophon in his economic writing, The Economist, explores themes such as household management, the division of labor, and market value. His economic writing which are individually-centered, discuss the fundamental building blocks of a stable and well-managed economy. He does this by stating the importance of recognition for work, education of laborers, and the effective use of materials and resources. His work has inspired many economists after him, even though he was never known for his predominantly-economic thought. As one of the first recorded philosophers, he made headway on economic issues that are still relevant today.
Works Cited
The Economist, Xenophon.
Leo Strauss
Marx
Ancient Philosophy Encyclopedia
Sophocles was one of the most influential writers of Ancient Greece. He was thought to be born around 496 B.C.E. in Colonus, near Athens Greece, and died at around 406 B.C.E. meaning that he only lived for about 90 years. He was born into a wealthy family, his father being Sophillius, and he was an amour manufacturer in the rural community
After the Battle of Artemisium, the Greek fled to the Isle of Salamis. This created problems for the Persians. With the Greeks being so close, their port was limited which meant they could not supply their army that was heading to Isthmus of Corinth. Xerxes calls in his naval commanders and asks for guidance on whether to go to battle at sea to remove the Greeks from the Isle of Salamis. All were in favor of the naval battle besides Artemisia. She advised Xerxes to spare his ships and not go to battle at sea. He has already gained Athens, which was his objective. She suggested to him that he hold his fleets back because if he went to naval battle the outcome would not be in his favor. Those that knew Artemisia thought her advice would agitate Xerxes and those who envied her because of the honor she was showed over the other commanders, were excited thinking Xerxes would have her killed. Xerxes did neither, he took her advice with pleasure and admired her even more. Xerxes thought his absence at the Battle of Artemisium was the reason the Persians fought so horrible. So he ordered the naval battle to take place and made arrangements for himself to be
... surprise. Economics drove the rhetorical situation in which "Cupid" was produced as it drives the rhetorical situation in which we return to Gilman for enlightenment now. Similarities in the rhetorical situations of reader, subject and author create the common ground that makes Gilman seem so topical, but it is the clarity of her vision and the simple logic of her proposition that makes her work so remarkable.
Oedipus the King conveys many lessons that are relevant to people living today despite the fact that it was written by Sophocles twenty four centuries ago. Oedipus is a child destined to kill his father and marry his mother. During his life, he makes many mistakes trying to avoid his fate. These mistakes teach us about the nature of humans under certain circumstances. Oedipus possesses personality traits which causes him to make wrong decisions. Attributes like arrogance and his inability to make calm decisions in certain scenarios due to his anger causes his downfall. Oedipus’ excessive pride, like many people today, was an important factor that brought him grief. Oedipus’ lack of patience caused him to make hasty decisions which lead him to his greatest agony. Oedipus’ massive ego turned into excessive vanity, this was the first step to his downfall. Oedipus talks to Creon about the murderer of Laius. He declares, “Then I’ll go back and drag that shadowed past to light… but by myself and for myself I’ll break this plague” (Sophocles, 11). Oedipus is saying that he will be the on...
Themistocles was a man like any other man in ancient Greece, power hungry, strong, and a lover of life. Themistocles was a powerful general and politician who fought in the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. Themistocles showed true leadership during his lifetime. He was from Ancient Athens, Greece, and lived from “524 BC to 459 BC” . He was born in Athens, Greece and finally ended up dying in Persia, the country that he defeated years earlier. Interestingly enough he only ended up in Persia because he was ostracized by his own people. But before I give too much away, let’s start at the very beginning.
Pericles’ Funeral Oration was a significant timestamp in 5th century Greece, Athens and to the Classical World. In the Funeral Oration, he discusses subjects such as the superiority of the Athenian compared to other civilisations. Pericles also expresses his views on the reputation of Athens while undermining Homer, and emphasizes his view on the role of the wives of fallen soldiers in the first year of the Peloponnesian war. The first recording known in history of his speech was written by Thucydides in his book ‘The Peloponnesian Wars’ as a statement on the values and characteristics of Athens. His speeches purpose was to show the people of Athens how great they were and much greater they could become. His wordings in the speech showed the classical world that Athens had no faults and was so great that no state could be compare to it, it made Athens as the centre of the world.
Adam Smith has developed and created the most influential works of economic, philosophy and beyond. Adam Smith made an economic model for his theory involving the economic market through his books. Adam Smith produced his own book titled “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” which revolved around morals of humans and mercy toward a person or a community. On the other hand, the book did have a slight vision of the rejection of loving yourself and the slim idea what an individual wants for his or her self. Adam Smith also produced another book titled “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” that was based on the concept of the politics of economy. This book also gave the idea that wealth’s amount is determined by the amount of work not by length. Adam Smith’s book eventually g...
In Plato’s dialogue, Phaedo, Echecrades asks Phaedo the details of Socrates’ last day alive. Phaedo first describes his own countenance as well as the rest of Socrates’ companions as “an unaccustomed mixture of pleasure and pain” because they all know that Socrates’ death is imminent, however they see that Socrates appears happy and without fear (58, e). The conversation with Socrates turns to why a philosopher should not fear death. Socrates defines death as the separation of the soul from the body (64, c). He states that the body is a constant impediment to a philosopher in their search for the truth. Socrates says that the body “fills us with wants, desires, fears, all sorts of illusions and much nonsense, so that… no thought of any kind ever comes to us from the [it].” (66, c). He claims that philosophy itself is “training for dying” and philosophers purify their souls by detaching it from the body (67, e). Socrates concludes that it would be unreasonable for a philosopher to fear death because they will obtain the truth they sought in life upon the separation of their body and soul, or death (67, c). After successfully proves the soul’s immortality, Socrates goes on to tell his companions a myth. This myth tells o the judgment of the dead and their journey through the underworld (107, d). It explains the shape of the Earth and how it has different surfaces (108, c- 113, d). It also tells of the punishment for the maimed souls and the reward for the pure souls, those of philosophers (113, c – 114, d). After concluding this myth, Socrates seems to emphasize that the exact details of the story are not important and “no sensible man would insist that these things are as I have described them” but it is important to “risk the bel...
No one would deny that Pericles was the most prominent Greek statesman and spokesperson during the Golden Age. His contribution was largely felt during the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars having obtained power from his family link to the Alcmaeonid family. He commanded a lot of respect to from the Athenian citizens with Thucydides describing him as "the first citizen of Athens” . He was born at around 495 BC north of Athens in the ...
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” This is a quote from the book Wealth of Nations, which Adam Smith wrote, addresses well about why and what reason people work for. The butcher, the brewer, or the baker does not cut, stir, or bake because they want to please the customer or to feed the poor, but to earn money and for their own happiness. Adam Smith, who fully understood the concepts of capitalism and free market system, became one of the most well respected economists throughout the world. Smith became famous because of his philosophy of economics. Because of his thoughts on economics, today he is well known as the “father of economics.”
Heilbroner, Robert L. The Worldly Philosophers: the Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Print.
* Xenophon in Seven Volumes, 3. (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA; William Heinemann, Ltd., London, 1980.)
Xenophon believed that the main role of a woman is to become a good wife to her husband. In order to do this it was one of women’s main priorities to take care of new-born children. Women were meant to stay inside the household and have children, as Xenophon argued, their ‘’natural job [is] to feed new-born children’’ (The Estate Manager Ex. 7.6 – 7.19). To support this belief, Xenophon stated that is the ‘’ natural law which makes easier for a responsible woman to care her own children than to neglect them’’ (Xenophon, The Estate Manager Ex. 9.4 – 9.16). Furthermore, he strongly believed in the opposites, that male and female have different roles opposite to each other, but also ‘’this pairing with each other is established as a procreative unit’’ (Xenophon, The Estate Manager Ex. 7.6 – 7.19), so only through procreation these opposites can be together.
Although most economists cannot come to agreement on the definition of economics, the preceding quote from l. Robbins, in my opinion, seems to just about sum it up. Since the beginning, when man first had to choose between hunting and sleeping, there was economics. Today economics is in everything we buy, use, and make, from the gas in our cars to the food on our tables, economics plays a vital role with the manufacture, distrubution and consumption of each. To help us better understand the economic trends, certain men have become economist. In this paper I will revisit four of the major economists’ theories. Starting with the theories of Adam Smith, a philosopher well as an economist, to the modern (relatively) day theories of Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize awardee, we will chronologically review the theories of Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and Milton Friedman.
Adam Smith was a man of many achievements. As a Scottish philosopher and political economist he became famous by his classical and influential books. In 1759 he wrote a book called “The Theory of Mortal Sentiments”and in 1775 he wrote another called “An Inquiry to the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”. Known as the “father of modern economics” Adam Smith has greatly influenced society. Adam Smith’s history impacted the way that our society is today. Adam’s childhood, environment, education and events throughout his life contributed to the way that we view society. With Adam’s theories and great works he molded a pathway to different stand points on the public and its society. Among his great works are the wealth of nations and inquiry to the nature and causes of the wealth of nations alongside the theory Adam named the invisible hand. Adam also thought about the public from an economic and political stand point. Due to factors that influenced Adam’s early life, he was able to learn from those before him to become the great economist, politician, and philosopher that he was. This way, even though Adam Smith lived during the time of the scientific revolution his words of wisdom in politics and the economy are still used today in the public.