Paperback
Buddha and Socrates offer wisdom for today’s ethical challenges.
Save 8%
Pre-Order

Buddha, Socrates, and Us

Ethical Living in Uncertain Times

RRP$26.95

$24.70

  • Paperback

    352 pages

  • Release Date

    2 January 2027

Check Delivery Options

Summary

A renowned Buddhist teacher turns to two of the most influential figures in history for guidance on how to face the ethical challenges of our time

The Buddha’s revolutionary teachings transformed Asia, and his contemporary Socrates laid the foundations of Western philosophy. Although they never met, Socrates and the Buddha each addressed in a radically new and surprisingly similar way the core questions of how to lead a good, just, and dignified life amid turbulence a…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780300292077
ISBN-10:0300292074
Author:Stephen Batchelor
Publisher:Yale University Press
Imprint:Yale University Press
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:352
Release Date:2 January 2027
Dimensions:140mm x 216mm
A-Format
B-Format
Buddha, Socrates, and Us by Stephen Batchelor - ISBN: 9780300292077
140 × 216 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Batchelor’s latest book is Buddha, Socrates and Us: Ethical Living in Uncertain Times. There he draws on a different tradition of doubt—Socratic questioning—and explores the wisdom that Buddhist and Hellenistic philosophy might offer us today.”—Ezra Klein, The Ezra Klein Show

“[Batchelor’s] mastery of the subject is impressive.”—Costica Bradatan, Times Literary Supplement

“A rich and fascinating exploration of the lives and teachings of Buddha and Socrates, this book is brave and revelatory, and one that brings us to the crisis of our era and opens a brilliant path forward.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, abbot, Upaya Zen Center

“Batchelor has proven himself to be one of our finest writers on Buddhism. In this beautifully written and impeccably researched book, he provides a series of innovative readings of ancient Greek and ancient Buddhist texts to recover an ‘ethics of uncertainty’ as a widely applicable and practical reorientation toward issues that face us all today.”—Dale S. Wright, author of Living Skillfully: Buddhist Philosophy of Life from the Vimalakirti Sutra

Praise for Stephen Batchelor:

“Elegant and formally ingenious.”—Geoff Wisner, Wall Street Journal, on The Art of Solitude

“The most intellectually stimulating book on Buddhism in the past few years.”—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, on After Buddhism

“Stephen Batchelor is our most profound thinker about the spiritual dilemmas of this time.”—Mark Epstein, author of The Zen of Therapy: Uncovering a Hidden Kindness in Life

About The Author

Stephen Batchelor

Stephen Batchelor is a teacher and scholar of Buddhism. His works include Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, After Buddhism, Secular Buddhism, and The Art of Solitude. He lives in La Sauve, France.

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.