"Plato's Meno and Phaedo are two of the most important works of ancient western philosophy and continue to be studied around the world. The Meno is a seminal work of epistemology. The Phaedo is a key source for Platonic metaphysics and for Plato's conception of the human soul. Together they illustrate the birth of Platonic philosophy from Plato's reflections on Socrates' life and doctrines. This edition offers new and accessible translations of both works, together with a thorough introduction that explains the arguments of the two dialogues and their place in Plato's thought"--
"The main objective of Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy is to expand the range, variety, and quality of texts in the history of philosophy which are available in English. The series includes texts by familiar names (such as Descartes and Kant) and also by less well-known authors. Wherever possible, texts are published in complete and unabridged form, and translations are specially commissioned for the series. Each volume contains a critical introduction together with a guide to further reading and any necessary glossaries and textual apparatus. The volumes are designed for student use at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and will be of interest not only to students of philosophy but also to a wider audience of readers in the history of science, the history of theology, and the history of ideas"--
"Plato's Meno and Phaedo are two of the most important works of ancient western philosophy and continue to be studied around the world. The Meno is a seminal work of epistemology. The Phaedo is a key source for Platonic metaphysics and for Plato's conception of the human soul. Together they illustrate the birth of Platonic philosophy from Plato's reflections on Socrates' life and doctrines. This edition offers new and accessible translations of both works, together with a thorough introduction that explains the arguments of the two dialogues and their place in Plato's thought"--
"The main objective of Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy is to expand the range, variety, and quality of texts in the history of philosophy which are available in English. The series includes texts by familiar names (such as Descartes and Kant) and also by less well-known authors. Wherever possible, texts are published in complete and unabridged form, and translations are specially commissioned for the series. Each volume contains a critical introduction together with a guide to further reading and any necessary glossaries and textual apparatus. The volumes are designed for student use at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and will be of interest not only to students of philosophy but also to a wider audience of readers in the history of science, the history of theology, and the history of ideas"--
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Find Menon Plato in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
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4 books in catalog
The foundational corpus of Western philosophy relies on the dramatic dialogue, a form of intellectual inquiry where philosophical arguments unfold through structured conversations between distinct speakers. Written in Classical Athens, the seminal text Republic explores justice, the structure of an ideal city-state, and the nature of human knowledge. Plato pioneered this literary and philosophical method during the fourth century BCE, casting his mentor Socrates as the central figure across dozens of probing works that address ethics, political theory, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Through works such as Menon, these texts examine whether virtue can be taught and how human beings acquire genuine understanding rather than mere opinion. Scholars and general readers continue to study these foundational texts to engage with enduring questions concerning truth, morality, governance, and the human soul.
Born around 428 or 427 BCE into an aristocratic Athenian family, Plato was the son of Ariston and Perictione, whose ancestry traced back to the early Athenian lawmaker Solon. Raised during the tumultuous years of the Peloponnesian War near the end of the Golden Age of Athens, he originally observed Athenian governance before dedicating himself to philosophy under the guidance of Socrates. Following the trial and execution of Socrates, Plato traveled widely before returning to Athens to establish the Academy, an institution dedicated to academic research and higher learning that functioned as one of the earliest organized philosophical schools in the Western world.
At the Academy, Plato dedicated decades to research, teaching, and writing until his death in 348 or 347 BCE at around eighty years of age. His most famous student, Aristotle, spent twenty years studying at the Academy before developing his own philosophical systems. Plato's surviving writings comprise approximately twenty-five or more philosophical dialogues along with epistles, preserved today in collections such as The collected dialogues of Plato, including the letters.
Plato's intellectual method relies heavily on dialectic, a conversational procedure that tests hypotheses through persistent question-and-answer exchanges. Rather than delivering systematic treatises in a single authorial voice, he framed his inquiries as dramatic encounters between historical or literary personages. His dialogues synthesize philosophical influences from Heraclitus, Parmenides, and the Pythagoreans while retaining Socrates as the primary mouthpiece for investigating ethical definitions, logical consistency, and abstract principles.
Central themes across his works include epistemology, political philosophy, the immortality of the soul, and the theory of forms, which posits that non-physical essences represent the ultimate reality behind sensible phenomena. Later cosmic and mythic works, such as Timaeus and Critias, expand these conceptual inquiries into natural philosophy, cosmology, and the legendary narrative of Atlantis.
4 books in catalog
The foundational corpus of Western philosophy relies on the dramatic dialogue, a form of intellectual inquiry where philosophical arguments unfold through structured conversations between distinct speakers. Written in Classical Athens, the seminal text Republic explores justice, the structure of an ideal city-state, and the nature of human knowledge. Plato pioneered this literary and philosophical method during the fourth century BCE, casting his mentor Socrates as the central figure across dozens of probing works that address ethics, political theory, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Through works such as Menon, these texts examine whether virtue can be taught and how human beings acquire genuine understanding rather than mere opinion. Scholars and general readers continue to study these foundational texts to engage with enduring questions concerning truth, morality, governance, and the human soul.
Born around 428 or 427 BCE into an aristocratic Athenian family, Plato was the son of Ariston and Perictione, whose ancestry traced back to the early Athenian lawmaker Solon. Raised during the tumultuous years of the Peloponnesian War near the end of the Golden Age of Athens, he originally observed Athenian governance before dedicating himself to philosophy under the guidance of Socrates. Following the trial and execution of Socrates, Plato traveled widely before returning to Athens to establish the Academy, an institution dedicated to academic research and higher learning that functioned as one of the earliest organized philosophical schools in the Western world.
At the Academy, Plato dedicated decades to research, teaching, and writing until his death in 348 or 347 BCE at around eighty years of age. His most famous student, Aristotle, spent twenty years studying at the Academy before developing his own philosophical systems. Plato's surviving writings comprise approximately twenty-five or more philosophical dialogues along with epistles, preserved today in collections such as The collected dialogues of Plato, including the letters.
Plato's intellectual method relies heavily on dialectic, a conversational procedure that tests hypotheses through persistent question-and-answer exchanges. Rather than delivering systematic treatises in a single authorial voice, he framed his inquiries as dramatic encounters between historical or literary personages. His dialogues synthesize philosophical influences from Heraclitus, Parmenides, and the Pythagoreans while retaining Socrates as the primary mouthpiece for investigating ethical definitions, logical consistency, and abstract principles.
Central themes across his works include epistemology, political philosophy, the immortality of the soul, and the theory of forms, which posits that non-physical essences represent the ultimate reality behind sensible phenomena. Later cosmic and mythic works, such as Timaeus and Critias, expand these conceptual inquiries into natural philosophy, cosmology, and the legendary narrative of Atlantis.
Cambridge Studies in the Dialogues of Plato
Cambridge Studies in the Dialogues of Plato
