Governing Oneself and Others

Xenophon (430-354 BCE) was a man of many modes: follower of Socrates, Athenian General, friend to Sparta, philosopher, political theorist, military historian, and writer. This collection of essays explores his writings across three genres, all of which he blends into one another: philosophical dialogue, political theory, and history. In whatever form he chose, Xenophon seems to have several foundational questions always in mind: What makes a human life good? How best should human beings be governed? What aspects of character and accidents of history contribute to good and bad rule and to good and bad lives? Like his teacher Socrates, there seem to be no questions off limits to Xenophon, who defied convention in his writing and in his life. And like his contemporary, Plato, he embraced the practice of altering the facts to illuminate the truth of the human condition. Xenophon was once considered among the most important figures in Classical Literature, then in the nineteenth century he was marginalized. But his reputation is again on the rise among scholars, and these essays offer ample evidence for why that is a very good thing. The volume focuses on his Cyropaedia, Hellenica, Memorabilia, and Symposium. This collection is based on the 2022 A.V. Elliott Conference on Great Books and Ideas, sponsored by The Thomas C. and Ramon E. McDonald Center for America's Founding Principles at Mercer University. Contributors include Peter Ahrensdorf, Wayne Ambler, Thomas Martin, Gregory McBrayer, Carol McNamara, Paul A. Rahe, Richard Ruderman, and Charlotte C. S. Thomas.