I just earned my PhD in philosophy, and after reading this, I wished I'd spent my time doing what Mr. Phillips is doing. His scholarship is impeccable, I can attest to that. His knowledge of ancient Athens, and his ability to make connections between seemingly disparate areas of knowledge, leaves me amazed and humbled. Phillips is doing philosophy, in both a practical and scholarly sense. He makes me realize that you cannot really do great scholarly work without actively engaging in philosophical inquiry, as he does, with people of all walks of life all over the planet. I can see from some of the other comments here that some react hostilely to Mr. Phillips, and I admire him for taking on these people, who remind of the types of ignorant souls who have stood in the way of all redemptive and forward-looking work in virtually every human endeavor. "Senor Phillips, ojala un dia tenga la oportunidad conocorlo. Muchisimas gracias por su trabajo especial."

When I made the commitment to earn my PhD in philosophy, my aspirations were almost identical to those of Mr. Phillips. After 3 years as a university professor, I can attest that the path he took is the path I should have taken. This book of his is the book I hoped to write myself. The only way to write a book like this is to chuck the security of academia and throw oneself into the world, engaging with people everywhere, with humility and curiosity, and methodical rigor, as Mr. Phillips has done. This book is revelatory at many levels, and my hat is off to Mr. Phillips.

I had to read this book for my English class and I was horribly disappointed. I usually have no problem reading and often enjoy my required reading, but this book was one that I had to force myself through. I would not read it expecting any kind of pleasure. It did cause many of my friends and I talk about the book, but our main topic why the book was so painful.

The flyleaf says that "understanding the perspectives of others on these six great questions would help [Socrates] become a more excellent [sic] human being."Not mentioned is the need to have a diverse group in the discussion so that all viewpoints are heard and may be evaluated.Phillips does not do this. The groups he gathers are largely those who can be fairly described as leftists or liberals in their political thinking. As a result, the entire book is a prolonged rant against the ubiquitous "them," the rich, the powerful, anyone who doesn't believe that what they have earned or owned is theirs alone.All of the copious references are to others whose views are similarly skewed.The Socratic method requires active debate to illuminate all viewpoints. This book provides a single, well worn "we're oppressed" view. It's a shame that Socrates has to suffer at the hands of this approach.Jerry

If you are getting this for storing and moving around tools, or any heavy components...think again. It can hold heavy objects as long as you have no intention of rolling it or moving it while they are inside. For myself it ended up being just an overpriced storage trunk with the added advantage of wheels(that were not strategically placed for anyone over 5'2" to pull), and the place for a lock (keep in mind plastic used is NOT durable, so a metal padlock I'd imagine would break through the plastic with a couple good twists. One thing good about the soft plastic material is you can over-stuff it and it easily stretches to close evenly at the latches. Unless you can afford to burn the cash, go to the dollar store, they are coming out with wheels on their storage bins now and much better colors.

We purchased this item for my son to use for summer camp. Although it IS a sturdy footlocker, it didn't give us enough room to fit everything. After purchasing this footlocker we saw it for half the price at Lowe's and even cheaper at Walmart (not to mention what we paid in shipping). We were disappointed but I guess it pays to shop around. For the price we paid online I would recommend shopping around first.