Interview

Christopher Phillips

Christopher Phillips is known for promoting the art of Socratic enquiry in cafés, schools and even prisons all over the globe. David Taube met him to talk about his new book, Socrates In Love, a series of anecdotes, interviews and essays based around the five Greek concepts of love.

In your book you discuss five ancient Greek forms of love [see sidebar]. Which do you find the most indispensable?

The one I knew nothing about was xenia [‘the love of strangers’]. In fact, I went into investigating it sort of grudgingly. But I find in this day, in an age of endless demonizing and mindless stereotyping of anyone who’s different than us, that xenia is absolutely indispensable. Social evolution and our greater emancipation is based on overcoming preconceived notions of people.

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