Euthyphro. Apology. Crito. Phaedo (Loeb Classical Library)

Plato's Dialogues are so enjoyable to read. They help us to see the invisible, immutable, objective truths through one man's eyes and thoughts. By dialoguing with his students or disciples, he tears down some of the old mythical gods and points his readers to the "Good" that he believes guides the universe. This is an indispensable read for philosophy students and others who just want to learn to think by thinking, questioning, listening and thinking again. Thanks to Harvard and Loeb for keeping these priceless works available at a great price.

Just as described! Some reviews are low because it doesn’t include the Phaedrus... But they must have confused it with the Phaedo, because nowhere does it mention having the former. I really enjoyed the introductions and notes to this. Usually I think they can water down the text, but of course, this includes the Greek! The translations are nothing extraordinary, but I’m okay with that.

This is the first of twelve book in Loeb classic series for Plato. This book has Greek on the left side pages and English on the right side pages, so actual reading length is about half the total pages listed in the book. A reader who doesn’t know Greek can say little about the translation. These may not be the best translation available for Plato, however they are one of the most organized works in English bringing together the dialogues of Plato in one coherent series.The book contains five dialogues and there is an introduction that precedes each dialogue. The introduction is priming in nature, i.e. it can likely bias a reader’s opinion about the dialogue. Anyone willing to read Plato with clean slate mind should read the dialogues and then test their understanding by reading the introduction. The authors also list other notable translations for the same dialogue, so for anyone not satisfied with the translation, there is information available in the book. On a very high level the dialogues cover the topics as listed below- Euthyphro – (On Holiness) – An incomplete dialogue on the question what is Holy.- Apology – The defense of Socrates at his trial.- Crito – Discussion where Crito tries to persuade Socrates to escape from Prison.- Phaedo – A proof that soul is immortal.- Phaedrus – A discussion on the art of rhetoric.As for the comments of nature of this text, what to learn from it and how to read it, it is best to paraphrase the following quote from an email archive of discussion on how to read Plato“Rather than putting blinders in front of our eyes in the name of some illusory "objectivity", let us all on the contrary start to get personally involved in the text, not in trying to paraphrase it and supply what we think is missing to make a nice novel, but in putting in the balance our own understanding of what the text challenges in our own lives and beliefs. Let us dialogue on the dialogue with our own hearts and thoughts. Let us risk being ridiculed or contradicted, or forced ("coerced"?) to change our way of thinking, hopefully for the better. This is what Plato wrote for, as I understand it... We are not there to find the truth of a text, but to build a (wo)man in each one of us. The text is only there to help, and, if we don't see that, it's no use reading it anyway...”

Good to use for guidance, but if you know attic Greek, this translation might drive you insane as the book tends to make some leaps in their translation.

I bought it for Phaedrus but it is no longer contained in this edition! I got trapped!!

Got it for the dialogue Phaedrus - but no longer contained in this edition

Initially the middle pages were not even attached to the book. Pgs. 415 thru 430 fell out of the book. Returned and promptly received a replacement in excellent condition. Thank you for the prompt response. This book is well the money!

the cover is a little bit damaged; I know it is kind of brittle, but it is supposed to be new, isn't it?Anyways, besides that, everything is fine, as always with loeb classical library books

These are the best books out there with both English and Greek on facing pages. Love that there are current scholarship in these classic texts. Beautiful size and I always remove dust cover and love how they age through constant reading (like my old Barbour) look better with age.

I received the book promptly and in excellent condition.

I am self-studying Ancient Greek and Latin and am so happy that Loeb do bilingual texts. Not only do I get a window into the greatest minds of the past, but I also get to to read their works in the language they spoke. The book had some scuffs to the dust cover, but the hardcover underneath is perfect condition.