The Essential Plato - Softcover

Plato

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1582880123 ISBN 13: 9781582880129

Publisher: Book-of-the-Month Club, 1999

Synopsis

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, alcoholish, and--of course--"The Evils of Retail Trade"; and much more of Plato's writing.

About this title

About the Author:

Plato (c. 427 BC-c. 347 BC) was born into an aristocratic Athens family; as a young man he had political and poetical aspirations but he turned to philosophy after the murder of his teacher Socrates in 399 BC. After Socrates's death Plato left Athens to travel around Greece, Egypt, and Italy, returning to his native city in 387 BC to found the Academy, a center of excellence for philosophical, mathematical, and scientific research.

Alain De Botton was born in 1969 in Zurich. He is the author of the best-selling How Proust Can Change Your Life (1997) and four novels. His next book, The Consolations Of Philosophy, will be published in April 2000. He lives in London.

Benjamin Jowett (1817-93) was a colorful Oxford professor who translated Plato, Thucydides, and Aristotle. His version of Plato, which was first published in 1871, is still considered the standard.

About this edition

• Publisher: Book-of-the-Month Club
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1582880123
• ISBN 13: 9781582880129
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1323