This is typical of the early or “Socratic” dialogues. These tend to depict Socrates inquiring with partners into a certain concept, usually a virtue like piety or courage, and failing to achieve clarity in the end. Then comes the “middle period,” during which Plato wrote more ambitious, longer works, and moved away from representing typical Socratic encounters. The Republic, Plato’s best-known dialogue, is the star example for this period. Finally, there are the “late” works. We know that a hugely long and, most readers tend to feel, hugely boring work called the Laws was not yet completed
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