How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J Robertson Book Review

About the Book:

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

Socrates is the quintessential Athenian philosopher, the source of the entire Western philosophical tradition, and Godfather to the Stoics. He spent his life teaching practical philosophy to ordinary people in the streets of Athens, yet few people today are familiar with the wisdom he has to offer us.

How to Think Like Socrates is an accessible and informative guide to the life of one of the greatest thinkers in history, and the first book to focus on applying his ideas to our daily lives. Author Donald J. Robertson transports readers back to ancient Athens, expertly weaving together a page-turning account of a philosopher 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 value of the Socratic Method to modern life. As a practicing cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, Robertson also uses his expertise to reveal many parallels between the evidence-based concepts and techniques of modern psychology and the philosophy of Socrates, and shows how his philosophical insights can guide and benefit all of us to this day.

My Review:

Robertson begins by informing us of just how much we don't know about Socrates. While we are assured he was an actual historical individual, facts are limited as much about him is in fictional form. Robertson has rewritten what may be fictional accounts, dialogues, etc. so that readers can find here a very readable account of the life of Socrates and the wisdom he expressed as well as the history of the time. Robertson helps us understand what we can learn from the Socrates accounts, giving suggestions, asking thought provoking questions and providing practical exercises.

While the orientation of the information contained in this book is related to cognitive behavioral therapy, I found the book to be very informative and helpful beyond that particular discipline. The Socratic Method is asking questions. It can be used to distinguish thoughts about circumstances from the circumstances themselves. The idea is to “develop thinking skills that benefit us in the real world and free us from common mistakes.” (255/4901) An example is “rational measurement,” comparing the long term consequences of pain and pleasure in decision making. (1926/4901) My favorite section was on intellectual conceit. There is harm that can result when someone assumes he knows something when, in fact, he is ignorant. (2134/4901) I also liked the information on cognitive distancing.

Rather than a self-help book that tells us what to do, Robertson helps us develop skills to investigate our own values and determine what we want to achieve. These are important skills in an age of social media persuasion and shallow thinking. I highly recommend this book. It is not a light read but the result of making it through will be a good understanding of the thought processes leading to the benefits of self-awareness and the recognition of thinking errors, the path to a fulfilling life indeed.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Donald J. Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, trainer, and writer. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, and after living in England and working in London for many years, he emigrated to Canada, and now resides in Quebec. Robertson has been researching Stoicism and applying it in his work for over twenty years. He is one of the founding members of the non-profit organization Modern Stoicism. He is also the founder and president of the Plato’s Academy Centre non-profit in Greece. Robertson is the author of Verissimus and How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. Photo credit: Vadim Daniel Photography.

St. Martin's Press, 368 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)