Five Dialogues

Publisher Marketing: The ancient Greek philosopher Plato was born around 425 BC to an aristocratic family. He was the most famous student of Socrates and would eventually go on to form his own school, the Academy. Plato's dialogues are among the most popular of all writings from classical antiquity. Plato wrote his dialogues to record the wisdom that Socrates had imparted to his students. Plato's works "Euthyphro," "Apology," "Crito," "Meno," and "Phaedo" are featured in this collection. These dialogues feature Socrates speaking with a student or friend about the philosophical concerns of laws, the virtue of mankind, the purpose of the gods, and death. Each dialogue searches through different facets of philosophy and makes the reader question their own personal beliefs and morals. While there is no underlying storyline, the dialogues follow important moments in Socrates' life, from his trial to his death. Socrates was charged by the government for not believing in the Greek gods and was eventually put to death by having to drink poison. Plato's works strove to record and safeguard his teacher's wisdom for future generations to discover. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the highly regarded translations of Benjamin Jowett. Contributor Bio:  Plato Plato (427 347 B. C.) was a classical Greek philosopher and writer whose best-known works include the "Republic", the "Apology", and the "Symposium". Contributor Bio:  Jowett, Benjamin Plato ("428/427 or 424/423 BC - 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his most-famous student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him, although 15-18 of them have been contested. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts. Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, religion and mathematics. Plato is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. His writings related to the Theory of Forms, or Platonic ideals, are basis for Platonism. Early life The exact time and place of Plato's birth are not known, but it is certain that he belonged to an aristocratic and influential family. Based on ancient sources, most modern scholars believe that he was born in Athens or Aegina between 429 and 423 BC. His father was Ariston. According to a disputed tradition, reported by Diogenes Laertius, Ariston traced his descent from the king of Athens, Codrus, and the king of Messenia, Melanthus. Plato's mother was Perictione, whose family boasted of a relationship with the famous Athenian lawmaker and lyric poet Solon. Perictione was sister of Charmides and niece of Critias, both prominent figures of the Thirty Tyrants, the brief oligarchic regime, which followed on the collapse of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War (404-403 BC). Besides Plato himself, Ariston and Perictione had three other children; these were two sons, Adeimantus and Glaucon, and a daughter Potone, the mother of Speusippus (the nephew and successor of Plato as head of his philosophical Academy). According to the Republic, Adeimantus and Glaucon were older than Plato. Nevertheless, in his Memorabilia, Xenophon presents Glaucon as younger than Plato.