The Dialogues of Plato in Five Volumes, Vol. 2 (of 5): Translated into English with Analyses and Introductions

This is Socrates at his most剧, on trial for his life, defending the examined life before the court that will condemn him, then in prison, drinking hemlock while his students argue for immortality. Volume 2 of Jowett's beloved Victorian translation gathers six essential dialogues: the Apology, Crito, and Phaedo form a devastating triptych about justice, law, and the immortality of the soul; Meno poses the thorny question of whether virtue can be taught and introduces the radical theory that learning is remembering; Gorgias dismantles rhetoric and power while asking what kind of life is truly worth living; and Euthyphro catches Socrates on his way to trial, debating piety with a man more certain of divine law than any mortal should be. Jowett's introductions, written for late Victorian readers, situate each dialogue's arguments and anticipate the questions modern readers might bring. These are not abstract philosophy but urgent, dramatic debates about how to live, and whether the soul survives death. For anyone who has ever wondered what Western philosophy actually looks like at its source, this volume is a good place to start.