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The Economist

by Xenophon (-431–-355)

  • Free to read
  • 3 hours to read
  • 22 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The Economist" by Xenophon is a Socratic dialogue written around 362 BC. It explores household management and agriculture through conversations between Socrates and two Athenians. The work examines what constitutes true wealth, the art of managing property and slaves, and the education of wives. Through the gentleman-farmer Ischomachus, Xenophon presents ideas about gender roles, rural life, and leadership that have sparked debate among scholars—some viewing the text as patriarchal, others seeing proto-feminist elements, and many detecting layers of irony throughout.

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  • Classical literature
  • Dialogues, Greek · Translations into English
  • Administration of estates · Greece · Early works to 1800
  • Greece · Economic conditions · Early works to 1800

Read the opening

Chapter I

I once heard him [2] discuss the topic of economy [3] after the following manner. Addressing Critobulus, [4] he said: Tell me, Critobulus, is "economy," like the words "medicine," "carpentry," "building," "smithying," "metal-working," and so forth, the name of a particular kind of knowledge or science?

[1] By "economist" we now generally understand "political economist," but the use of the word as referring to domestic economy, the subject matter of the treatise, would seem to be legitimate.

[2] "The master."

[3] Lit. "the management of a household and estate." See Plat. "Rep." 407 B; Aristot. "Eth. N." v. 6; "Pol." i. 3.

[4] See "Mem." I. iii. 8; "Symp." p. 292.

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Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XI
  13. Chapter XII
  14. Chapter XIII
  15. Chapter XIV
  16. Chapter XV
  17. Chapter XVI
  18. Chapter XVII
  19. Chapter XVIII
  20. Chapter XIX
  21. Chapter XX
  22. Chapter XXI

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About this edition

This free edition of The Economist by Xenophon comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1173, released 1998-01-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Classics of Literature, Philosophy & Ethics.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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