Ricky K. Green Boeken

Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War and Plato’s Apology represent two influential works of classical Athens. Thucydides’ work is widely recognized as an argument for democratic thought. Plato’s work, an essential tract in western philosophy, is often accused of being anti-democratic. This book reconstructs a fundamental understanding of the conflict between the political thought and action of Socrates and Athens. It challenges prior commentary on three essential fronts. First, it explores the extent to which imperial ambition and competition subvert Athenian democracy. Second, it explores the extent to which Socrates’ labors oppose the ambition and competition inherent in Athenian imperialism. Finally, it explores the extent to which Socratic morality represents a threat to post-restoration Athenian ambition.

The Black community has historically suffered stasis on the political level. W.E.B. Du Bois originally identified the source of the stasis as a contradiction of political goals within individuals and Black culture. During the last century, the development of African American political organizations has institutionalized this «contradiction of double aims». That institutionalization is largely due to the energy and resources of two distinct and often contradicting political traditions - Black nationalism and the Black American Jeremiad. It is within a third tradition, Black cultural pluralism, that a possible discourse exists that can address the stasis within the Black community. This book attempts to reconstruct the development of this third tradition and posits it as the most viable source of Black political development.