Having a few days away from our normal lives helps us to make space for thinking, learning, movement and merry-making, says Tom Hodgkinson

At his trial for impiety and for corrupting the young, Socrates defended himself to the 501 jurors in a long speech called the Apology, reported by Plato. His message, he said, had always been the same. He had a God-given mission to persuade Athenians to adopt philosophical habits:

While I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy, exhorting anyone whom I meet and saying to him after my manner: You, my friend,—a citizen of the great and mighty and wise city of Athens,—are you not ashamed of heaping up the greatest amount of money and honour and reputation, and caring so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul, which you never regard or heed at all?

We need to make time to think:

For I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but first and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul.

Well, you might think that this is a ridiculously grand thing to say, but I do like to think that our Idler Retreats are Socratic. The point of them is for a group of us to gather together in a setting which is something like the image I have in my head of Plato’s Academy; a sort of monastery, but more fun. And in this retreat spend seven days thinking about wisdom and truth and the improvement of the soul.

And indulge in some merry-making too. Socrates also tells us that he enjoyed his dancing lessons. In Xenophon’s Symposium, he praises the agility of the dancing boy who is brought out by the dancing master (in a way that reminds me a bit of Hazlitt’s 1828 essay “The Indian Rope Jugglers” ). “That is how a man should dance,” he says, “who wants to keep his body light and healthy.”

Socrates then asks for the master to teach him some steps.

“And what use will you make of them?” 

“God bless me! I shall dance, of course!”

This remark is met by peals of laughter from Socrates’ mates.

You are pleased to laugh at me. Pray, do you find it so ridiculous my wishing to improve my health by exercise? or to enjoy my victuals better? to sleep better? […] But what is it you keep on laughing at – the wish on my part to reduce to moderate size a paunch a trifle too rotund? Is that the source of merriment?

Socrates then conjures up a delightful image of being spotted practising his moves: “Perhaps you are not aware, my friends, that Charmides — yes! he there — caught me only the other morning in the act of dancing?” This would be a great scene for my planned Socrates biopic, currently in development.

And this is another Socratic element of our retreats: bodily exercise and merry-making. Last week in Spain we had a flamenco class and next week in Italy we’ll be both doing yoga and going on longish walks along the pilgrimage route to Assisi.

Take a look here at the Idler Retreats now booking.

Subscribers may comment. Please add your idle thoughts using the box below

Subscribe to the Idler here and get 17% off the shop price plus a FREE copy of Idle Thoughts by Tom Hodgkinson, worth £8.95.

A Drink with the Idler

Our next guest on “A Drink with the Idler” is author Sacha Coward who will be chatting to Tom Hodgkinson about queer folklore.

Mark Vernon will also present a new Thought for the Week.

That’s Thursday 21 May, 6pm-7pm.

Find out more and book tickets here. It’s FREE to subscribers – otherwise £7.50.

How to Live Like a Stoic

The May/June 2026 issue of the Idler (#109) is available in Waitrose, Smiths and TG Jones.

Click here for your nearest stockist.