Book Review | The Unaborted Socrates

THE UNABORTED SOCRATES: A Dramatic Debate On the Issues Surrounding Abortion | Peter Kreeft 

It reads like a script; Kreeft provides a classic dialogue between Socrates brought to modern life in three acts. First with a medical doctor, next with a philosopher, and lastly with a psychologist. With each, abortion gets the Socratic treatment: an unyielding examination under the bright light of reason. 

These short morality plays contain puns and nifty wordplay like a Hellenic dialogue. Kreeft’s modern Socrates is no less talented than the one of old in stripping bare the irrational biases of unexamined prejudices. 

Kreeft, one of America’s foremost Thomists, is, by extension, a classicist. His writing is a masterful aping of Socratic tone and humor. As the person writing both sides of an argument, Kreeft tries to characterize the pro-abortion position objectively. He succeeds fairly well but likely falls short, making his Socrates take-down too easy. 

Nevertheless, this is a must-read for all. Those with a pro-abortion position explore the arguments and see if your beliefs can withstand the assault of reason. For pro-life, learn to examine your beliefs most wholly and appropriately based on nature and objective reality.