Xenophon
Soldier-historian whose memoirs preserve a practical, down-to-earth Socrates.
Overview
An Athenian soldier, historian, and companion of Socrates, Xenophon famously led the retreat of the Ten Thousand Greek mercenaries through Persia (the Anabasis). His Socratic writings present a more practical, common-sense Socrates than Plato's — concerned with useful virtue, household management, and good leadership. As one of only two contemporaries to record Socrates at length, he is a vital independent source, even if judged the lesser philosopher.
What they supported — and why
A practical Socrates
SupportedVirtue is useful knowledge for living well — managing a household, serving the city, and improving oneself and others.
WhyXenophon defends philosophy by its everyday usefulness and Socrates' example, not by abstract theory.
Leadership through self-control
SupportedGood leadership rests on self-discipline, piety, justice, and genuine care for those one leads.
WhyHis military experience and his idealized portrait of Cyrus present virtue as the true basis of effective command.
Causes championed
- Preserving the memory of Socrates
- Practical ethics
- Virtuous leadership
Issues wrestled with
- What did Socrates actually teach?
- What makes a good leader or a well-run household?
Hurdles faced
- Exiled from Athens for his pro-Spartan sympathies
- His Socrates long dismissed as philosophically shallower than Plato's
Works & books
5 catalogued. Status shows how much survives to today.
Memorabilia
SurvivesRecollections of Socrates defending his character and teaching — a key independent source.
Apology of Socrates
SurvivesA short account of Socrates' defense and attitude at his trial.
Symposium
SurvivesA dinner-party dialogue on love and virtue featuring Socrates.
Oeconomicus
SurvivesA Socratic dialogue on household and estate management.
Anabasis / Cyropaedia
SurvivesHistorical and political works; the Cyropaedia is an influential 'education of a ruler'.
Read the texts free
18 of Xenophon’s works are free to read in full — public-domain English editions on Project Gutenberg, matched from Gutenberg’s own catalogue.
Every edition online — Open Library catalogues 712 works & editions, 166 of them free to read in full.
The influence network
See Xenophon in the map →In their words
“The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.”
— attributed
Legacy
One of only two contemporaries to portray Socrates at length, his practical portrait balances Plato's and shaped the tradition of moral biography.
Essays
Pieces from the Journal that take up Xenophon in more depth.
Further reading
Cross-checked against these authoritative references.