The Being of the Beautiful: Plato's Theaetetus, Sophist and Statesman

by Plato, Seth Benardete

The Being of the Beautiful collects Plato’s three dialogues, the Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman, in which Socrates formulates his conception of philosophy while preparing for trial. Renowned classicist Seth Benardete’s careful translations clearly illuminate the dramatic and philosophical unity of these dialogues and highlight Plato’s subtle interplay of language and structure. Extensive notes and commentaries, furthermore, underscore the trilogy’s motifs and relationships.

“The translations are masterpieces of literalness. . . . They are honest, accurate, and give the reader a wonderful sense of the Greek.”—Drew A. Hyland, Review of Metaphysics

Genres: Philosophy

539 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

Reviews

[Peter]

Plato has changed so much for me over the last years. I've been reading these dialogues for a long time. I'm not sure what to say about my last reading of these dialogues. I do like the translation a good deal and also the accompanying essays by Seth Bernadette. I like a lot of things Bernadette says about Plato. I like is "Second Sailing" as well.

[Will Spohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to just read the dialogues the first time through because otherwise I’d never finish the book in these circumstances. Great translations, exceedingly difficult dialogues, though.

[Joel Zartman]

Benardete is no Cornford. Could not pay attention to this translation at all.