This is yet another college book that I never got around to reading. Yes, I rarely sold them back because I'm that much of a nerd. This is a collection of four stories styled as "dialogues".
I found Euthyphro both fun and instructive. The elenchus or Socratic Method is on display here and it shows the difficulty in defining seemingly obvious words like "justice". I like to see it as Socrates trolling Euthyphro; truly a gadfly as Apology goes into detail regarding.
Apology is the meat of the matter. It's interesting. From what I can tell, instead of out-right refuting the charges against him, he tries to wriggle out of them by saying they don't apply. For instance, he isn't a teacher because he doesn't charge a fee and it's not his fault if others like his company and ask him things to which he answers at length. One has to wonder if he's taking his trial seriously. Indeed, he indirectly tells the jury that they're stupider than he is because they're unaware of just how stupid they are.
Crito is a short one. Crito argues from a worldly perspective; sons, and physical pleasures of life and such. Even in the next dialogue he's still focused on practical matters such as Socrates's funeral. He's a great foil for Socrates, the one who pursues only wisdom.
The more I read of Phaedo, the more I thought Socrates was making stuff up to ease the sorrow of his friends. Really, that seems to me to be his entire purpose in leading the conversation to the subject of why a philosopher should look forward to death and thus the concept of the immortal soul. While the idea of bodily needs and desires distracting the philosopher from the pursuit of wisdom makes perfect sense, the Argument from Opposites sounds more like wordplay than logic. Indeed, the editor's intersections between the sections of the conversation as well as the notes at the back of the book point out hasty agreements or weak points in argument.
After reading the entire book, I prefer the first two dialogues. They feel more solidly based and philosophical to me than the other two. The latter pair seem to me like an apology, of sorts, for the friends of Socrates. They tried to save him but he refused to be saved, and he refused to be saved because he wanted to die.
Even so, it is difficult to judge them as equals given their differing contexts (and when Plato wrote them, of course). Euthyphro is an acquaintance of his and doing something that Socrates disagrees with so he basically gets made to look foolish. The Apology takes place in a court room during a trial, which is much different than a private chat with his friends.
Then there's the discussion of how much of these events took place and how much is Plato creating as a frame device for certain concepts (like his Theory of Ideas). I find it telling that the Apology is the only one that was publicly witnessed by many people and more so that it appears to be the only one of the four witnessed by Plato himself.
I enjoyed all four and found them interesting in different ways.
Trickster Eric Novels gives The Last Days of Socrates an A.
Click here for my next book review (a request): Enaro
Click here for my previous book review (for fun): Mahou Sensei Negima -omnibus #8
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback
I found Euthyphro both fun and instructive. The elenchus or Socratic Method is on display here and it shows the difficulty in defining seemingly obvious words like "justice". I like to see it as Socrates trolling Euthyphro; truly a gadfly as Apology goes into detail regarding.
Apology is the meat of the matter. It's interesting. From what I can tell, instead of out-right refuting the charges against him, he tries to wriggle out of them by saying they don't apply. For instance, he isn't a teacher because he doesn't charge a fee and it's not his fault if others like his company and ask him things to which he answers at length. One has to wonder if he's taking his trial seriously. Indeed, he indirectly tells the jury that they're stupider than he is because they're unaware of just how stupid they are.
Crito is a short one. Crito argues from a worldly perspective; sons, and physical pleasures of life and such. Even in the next dialogue he's still focused on practical matters such as Socrates's funeral. He's a great foil for Socrates, the one who pursues only wisdom.
The more I read of Phaedo, the more I thought Socrates was making stuff up to ease the sorrow of his friends. Really, that seems to me to be his entire purpose in leading the conversation to the subject of why a philosopher should look forward to death and thus the concept of the immortal soul. While the idea of bodily needs and desires distracting the philosopher from the pursuit of wisdom makes perfect sense, the Argument from Opposites sounds more like wordplay than logic. Indeed, the editor's intersections between the sections of the conversation as well as the notes at the back of the book point out hasty agreements or weak points in argument.
After reading the entire book, I prefer the first two dialogues. They feel more solidly based and philosophical to me than the other two. The latter pair seem to me like an apology, of sorts, for the friends of Socrates. They tried to save him but he refused to be saved, and he refused to be saved because he wanted to die.
Even so, it is difficult to judge them as equals given their differing contexts (and when Plato wrote them, of course). Euthyphro is an acquaintance of his and doing something that Socrates disagrees with so he basically gets made to look foolish. The Apology takes place in a court room during a trial, which is much different than a private chat with his friends.
Then there's the discussion of how much of these events took place and how much is Plato creating as a frame device for certain concepts (like his Theory of Ideas). I find it telling that the Apology is the only one that was publicly witnessed by many people and more so that it appears to be the only one of the four witnessed by Plato himself.
I enjoyed all four and found them interesting in different ways.
Trickster Eric Novels gives The Last Days of Socrates an A.
Click here for my next book review (a request): Enaro
Click here for my previous book review (for fun): Mahou Sensei Negima -omnibus #8
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback
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