Plato

The Republic poses questions that endure: What is justice? What form of community fosters the best possible life for human beings? What is the nature and destiny of the soul? Find out....

The Apology of Socrates, written by Plato, is a Socratic dialogue of the speech of legal self-defense which Socrates spoke at his trial for impiety and corruption in 399 BC....

Gorgias of Leontini, a famous teacher of rhetoric, has come to Athens to recruit students, promising to teach them how to become leaders in politics and business....

Ancient philosophy provides us with timeless wisdom while bringing a new light on the way modern thought has been shaped by building on the ancient masters...

The Greek word sumposion means a drinking party, and the party described in Plato's Symposium is one supposedly given in the year 416 BC by the playwright Agathon....

Phaedrus lures Socrates outside the walls of Athens, where he seldom goes, by promising to share a new work by his friend and mentor, Lysias, a famous writer of speeches....

Socrates is in prison, sentenced to die when the sun sets. In this final conversation, he asks what will become of him once he drinks the poison prescribed for his execution....

Socrates is in prison, sentenced to die when the sun sets. In this final conversation, he asks what will become of him once he drinks the...

Whether you are a student of philosophy, a seeker of metaphysical truths, or a lover of ancient wisdom, The Timaeus opens a door to understanding the cosmos through the lens of one of history’s greatest minds.

Step into the mythic and metaphysical brilliance of Plato’s Timaeus and Critias, two of the most enigmatic and influential dialogues in Western philosophy.

Deploying straightforward language and metaphors drawn from everyday life, The Republic contains many key ideas including the theory of forms and the concept of the philosopher-king....

The Trial and Death of Socrates presents the trial and subsequent execution of Socrates in 399 BCE....

Laws is Plato's last and longest dialogue. It is generally agreed that Plato wrote this dialogue as an older man, having failed in his effort in Syracuse on the island of Sicily to guide a tyrant's rule, instead having been thrown in prison....

Socrates questions Ion, an actor who just won a major prize, about his ability to interpret the epic poetry of Homer. How does an actor, a poet, or any other artist create? Find out....

Hippias of Elis travels throughout the Greek world practicing and teaching the art of making beautiful speeches. On a rare visit to Athens, he meets Socrates, who questions him....

Plato made the concept of justice and what constitutes "just" behavior the focus of his 10-book epic The Republic. The Republic is written as a Socratic dialogue....

The Athenian court has found Socrates guilty and sentenced him to death. While he is waiting to be executed, his friend, Crito, comes to the prison to persuade him to escape and go into exile....

A dialogue between Socrates and Meno probes the subject of ethics. Can goodness be taught? Listen to find out....

Laches, a general in the Athenian army, saw Socrates fight bravely in the battle of Delium....

This collection brings together three of Plato's most enduring classics: the "Symposium", the "Apology", and the famous "Allegory of the Cave" from the Republic....