The Essential Plato

by Plato, Alain de Botton (Introduction by)

Plato is indisputably one of the most important philosophers of all time, forming with Socrates and Aristotle the trio of great figures at the heart of classical philosophy. The Essential Plato brings together the thinker's writings with an accessible, informative, and entertaining introduction from Alain de Botton, which puts Plato in a historical context and explains why his life and work are still relevant today. Using the Benjamin Jowett translation, this volume includes the entire Republic; the Apology, which explores the trial and execution of Socrates; The Symposium, Plato's plunge into the nature of love and emotion; and The Laws, an updating of The Republic, focusing on specific social issues such as education, alcoholism, and--of course--"The Evils of Retail Trade"; and much more of Plato's writing.
ISBN 9781582880129

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics

1323 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 1999

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

[Chris brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to dive into Plato this is the book. If anyone has said they have read this whole book they are either a liar; have spent time in prison or have been incapacitated and could not move for an extended period of time. I've gotten through the republic and meno and still have about 1000 more pages to go but I love Plato so this is worth it.

On a side note the ISBN number that is on the back of my book (0965020210) is not the number they have on Amazon

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading Plato and since silly Socrates did not/would not write, this is the closest I can come to him. I never get tired of reading and pondering Plato's cave!

[Kerrie]

Sometimes, a book helps you figure out who you are and are not. Who I am not is a person that’s going to finish this book.

[Nathan Joraanstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The snippets for the selected writings near the end of the book were not very helpful/enjoyable. Having the full writings in order to gain the full context (like most of the writings in the book) was much better. It's understandable though, being that the book is already massive and you can only make a book so large.

[Avid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to return to again and again. Every book lover should have one. It's a large book though with some repetiton so best to digest it bit by bit.

[angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

ah...greeks...they talk too much...