Five Dialogues

Rating:
Summary: words of wisdom
Review: I recomend this book to anyone who thinks they may be interested in philosophy but feel daunted by the large and complex texts out there. This book is written by Plato on the trial of Socrates, who was put to death for not believing in the gods of Athens at the time and for practising philosophy which was contary to the beliefs held at the time. It is perfect introductory text because it reads like a novel, is a perfect example of the reasoning technique used by philosophers, and is quite short. Overall, if you are looking for a classic philosophical text which deals with death, the soul and piety as its central themes as well as a death charge trown in for good measure,this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction to Plato
Review: This collection dialogues are a great foundation for the study of Plato. Each deals with a fundamental conern of philosophy and forces the reader to question his or her beliefs. These are realtively basic dialogues in that one is not required to have extensive knowledge of Plato's other works. This translation is one of the best I have read, it is clear and modern while preserving Plato's intention.

I suggest this collection to anyone who is interested in exploring many fundamental questions of philosophy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Well, I don't think I need to review the ideas of Plato. Besides, to do that would take far more space than I have, and far more time than I'm alotting to this review.

Ultimately, what makes this book so good is that its a cheap yet extremely intelligent and scholarly intro to Plato. The 5 dialogues within are incredibly thought-provoking, and are an excellent demonstration of philosophical thought and logical argument. My only problem is that sometimes its hard to understand the prose, but that may be a result of translation from the Greek. I don't know, but this is a small complaint...if one sits and really gives a confusing sentence a close, close reading, one can usually figure out what's being said.

5 Stars, for the philosophical ideas within, presented (mostly) in a clear way (via translation), the packaging of these 5 critical dialogues together neatly and cheaply, and a brief yet informative intro and good footnotes.