Benjamin Jowett

The European philosophical tradition... consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.-Alfred North Whitehead The dialogues of Plato stand alongside the Bible and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey as foundational texts of Western civilization. The works of Plato collected under the title The Trial and Death of Socrates have been particularly influential. This is because they provide both an excellent point of entry into Plato's vast philosophy and a vivid portrait...

Plato's brilliant dialogues, written in the fourth century B.C., rank among Western civilization's most important philosophical works. Presented as a series of probing conversations between Socrates and his students and fellow citizens, they form a magnificent dialectical quest that examines enduring political, ethical, metaphysical, and epistemological issues. Here, in one inexpensive edition, are six of Plato's remarkable and revelatory dialogues,...

These two dialogues by the greatest of the ancient Greek philosophers explore a vital concern of a democratic society: how to define the special abilities and qualities that make a genuine statesman. They further examine the distinction between an authentic statesman and the sophist, an individual who pretends to be a statesman but lacks the essential knowledge, personal qualities, and philosophical outlook. --Publisher

The Trial and Death of Socrates remains a powerful document, partly because it was a true – perhaps in certain parts verbatim – account of the end of one of the greatest figures in history. In Apology Socrates defends himself before the Athenian court against charges of corrupting youth. Phaedo is the account, by a young man, of the actual last words and moments of Socrates. These are presented with scene-setting introductions to the historical...

Gorgias of Leontini, a famous teacher of rhetoric, has come to Athens to recruit students, promising to teach them how to become leaders in politics and business. A group has gathered at Callicles' house to hear Gorgias demonstrate the power of his art. This dialogue blends comic and serious discussion of the best life, providing a penetrating examination of ethics. Is it better to suffer evil or to do evil? Is it better to do something wrong and...

Long regarded as the most accurate rendering of Plato's Republic that has yet been published, this work is the first literal translation of this classic. There is annotated text, an essay--as well as indices--which will better enable the reader to approach the heart of Plato's intention. This edition includes a new introduction by critic Adam Kirsch, setting the work in its intellectual context for a new generation of readers.--

"Benjamin Jowett's translations of Plato have long been classics in their own right. In this volume, Professor Hayden Pelliccia has revised Jowett's renderings of five key dialogues, giving us a modern Plato faithful to both Jowett's best features and Plato's own masterly style." "Gathered here are many of Plato's liveliest and richest texts. Ion takes up the question of poetry and introduces the Socratic method. Protagoras discusses poetic interpretation...