Euthypro, Crito, Apology, Symposium

by Plato

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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

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Genres: Philosophy

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

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

[jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

the sequencing of this book was an odd choice: putting the apology right after crito, then tacking on the symposium right at the end seems to me a very weird editorial course of action.

still, such matters aside, the wisdom embedded in plato’s works remain, as always, quite timeless and perennial. there are very many things talked about here, from justice to death and life to love itself.

there is no end of socrates’ questioning. faced between a choice of a life with no questions or death for his questioning, he intentionally and wilfully chooses death. yet even after death, his ghost haunts us through these pages and through our shared consciousness of the history of the earth. the unexamined life is not worth living, socrates says and we have parroted those words through two millennia.

god willing, we will be parroting them for two millennia more.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Plato remains a classic, this may not be the best edited and formatted edition of these dialogues.

[James Gairhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Plato’s interpretation of events occurring to Socrates have bled their way into modern philosophy for good reason. The analogy’s are on point, and the stimulating questions that Socrates proposes will have your mind churning all day long.

[Mckenzie Ragan · Rating 4 out of 5]

piety/impiety - the contract between citizen and state - wisdom in knowing we know nothing/gadfly to the state - talks on love

[Oook]

Plato's relevance does not diminish with centuries passing. The millenia shed light on some aspects of "good life" and "good society", brought forth by Socrates in Plato's works. However, the enlightement came too often through trial and error and too seldom through clarity and fervor of Socrate's elenchus. What are the traits one must aspire to as a person and as a member of society? What does one do when laws become obsolete? What is the perfect and just government? How do we attain knowledge to answer these questions in a consistent manner?

While reading this depiction of Socrates' death and the events that lead to it he becomes more than just a philosopher but also a charismatic, a prophet. The denouncement of establishment's nonsense and muddy morals. The system of thought as a weapon and the disciples that publicize the work. Humility combined with the sense of importance of distributing the message. Reification of the inner voices. The martyr death of a "moderate man".

If more people read Plato, instead of the Bible soap opera and children's fables, we might be in a better place.

[sch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aug 2016. Searching for a suitable Symposium for my students. This one is in the public domain, somehow. Finished: good style, no footnotes, no Stephanus.

Aug 2017. Possible textbook (first three dialogues only) for my dialectic class. Quitting after Euthyphro because (whoops) this is NOT in the public domain, after all. I read up on American copyright law.