Of course we can only conjecture (as we cannot know exactly what was in Xenophon’s mind), so I conjecture that motivation was the same as for many modern writers: it is the desire to spread one’s knowledge and ideas. To the contemporaries and to the later generations.
What was Xenophon known for?
Xenophon (430—354 B.C.E.) Xenophon was a Greek philosopher, soldier, historian, memoirist, and the author of numerous practical treatises on subjects ranging from horsemanship to taxation.
What did Xenophon write about Sparta?
Despite being born an Athenian citizen, Xenophon came to be associated with Sparta, the traditional opponent of Athens.
Xenophon.
| Xenophon of Athens | |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Hellenica Anabasis Education of Cyrus Memorabilia Symposium Oeconomicus Hiero Apology Agesilaus Constitution of the Lacedaemonians |
Did Xenophon known Socrates?
Xenophon (430-354 BCE) was an early disciple of Socrates and a contemporary of Plato. He is best known as the mercenary general who wrote The Anabasis, which relates his adventures in leading his men out of Persia and back to Greece after the disastrous campaign of Cyrus the Younger.
Did Xenophon fight in the Peloponnesian War?
Xenophon was born into a wealthy Athenian family in 431 BC, at the start of the Great Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). As an aristocrat he served in the Athenian cavalry, and was generally opposed to democracy.
Why did Xenophon write the Hellenica?
Many consider this a very personal work, written by Xenophon in retirement on his Spartan estate, intended primarily for circulation among his friends, for people who knew the main protagonists and events, often because they had participated in them.
When did Xenophon write economics?
Scholars lean towards a relatively late date in Xenophon’s life for the composition of the Oeconomicus, perhaps after 362 BC.
When did Xenophon write constitution of the Spartans?
The Polity dates to the period between 387 and 375 BC, and is the only contemporary account of the Spartan political system which survives.
How does Xenophon defend Socrates?
His gen- eral intent was to defend Socrates by portraying him as encouraging young men to become gentlemen like Xenophon himself-free from subjection to their own desires or the authority of an employer, men- tally and physically self-disciplined, willing to follow their own good sense where applicable and oracles and …
How did Xenophon portray Socrates?
Each book was its author’s perceptions and interpretations of the guilty verdict against the public figure Socrates. The author Xenophon presents Socrates’s megalēgoria (boastful manner of speaking) at his trial as a tactic in his legal defense against the charges of corruption, impiety, and harming the Athenian state.
What is Xenophon economic idea?
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.
What is Adam Smith’s main idea?
Adam Smith was among the first philosophers of his time to declare that wealth is created through productive labor, and that self-interest motivates people to put their resources to the best use. He argued that profits flowed from capital investments, and that capital gets directed to where the most profit can be made.
Is Xenophon an economist?
Xenophon, c. 430 – c. 355 B.C. Ancient Athenian scholar, sometimes called the first economist.
Who created the Spartan Constitution?
Gerousia. Sparta had a special policy maker, the Gerousia, a council consisting of 28 elders over the age of 60, elected for life and usually part of the royal households, and the two kings. High state policy decisions were discussed by this council who could then propose action alternatives to the demos.