Though he left no written works Socrates was the first great philosopher of the West. His conversations and dramatic death in ancient Athens were recorded by a number of writers (including Plato); they show that Socrates was deeply interested in self-knowledge and virtue. Socrates also believed in the rule of law even refusing to flee when he was condemned to death. His ceaseless questionings have set timeless standards for the relentless pursuit of truth.
Plato is the most important philosopher in the history of Western philosophy. This guidebook introduces and examines his three dialogues that deal with the death of Socrates:Euthphryo,ApologyandCrito. These dialogues are widely regarded as the closest exposition of Socrates' ideas. Plato and the Trial of Socratesintroduces and assesses: * Plato's life and the background to the three dialogues * The ideas and text in the three dialogues * Plato's continuing importance to philosophy Plato and the Trial of Socrateswill be ideal for anyone coming to Plato or the three dialogues for the first time.
A challenging new look at the great thinkers whose ides have shaped our civilization
From Socrates to Sartre presents a rousing and readable introduction to the lives, and times of the great philosophers. This thought-provoking book takes us from the inception of Western society in Plato’s Athens to today when the commanding power of Marxism has captured one third of the world. T. Z. Lavine, Elton Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University, makes philosophy come alive with astonishing clarity to give us a deeper, more meaningful understanding of ourselves and our times.
Plato's dialogues were part of a body of fourth-century literature in which Socrates questioned (and usually got the better of) friends, associates, and supposed experts. A. G. Long considers how Plato explained the conversational character of Socratic philosophy, and how Plato came to credit first Socrates and then, more generally, the philosopher with an alternative to conversation—internal dialogue or self-questioning.
We call it the "Golden Age"—the period during the 5th century B.C. when the Greek city-state of Athens experienced a cultural flowering of extraordinary power and importance for Western culture. It is a period that still calls to us, still echoes, as we read the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, or Euripides; gaze at architectural wonders like the Parthenon; consider the wisdom passed down from Socrates and Plato; or, perhaps most of all, consider the origins of our own democracy.
![Age of Pericles [Audio Lectures]](http://englishtips.org/uploads/posts/2009-06/1245089225_250px-ath232nes_acropole_caryatides.jpg "Age of Pericles [Audio Lectures]")
