Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo By: Plato, G.M.A Grube and John M. Cooper (Book Review)
Summary:
In the revised form in which George Grube's distinguished translations appear here, they present Plato's wonderfully vivid and moving as well as challenging portrayal of Socrates, and of the philosophic life, in clear, contemporary, down-to-earth English that nonetheless preserves and accurately conveys the nuances of Plato's and Socrates' philosophical ideas.
I first got my hands on this book during my first semester of college studying Ancient Philosophy. During the class I was introduced to Plato's work and had to study particular sections within the book. I always had a love for Greek mythology but I never thought that I would enjoy and grow such an appreciation for philosophy. For this review I am going to break down each dialogue down to make it easier to understand and for it to be less chaotic.
Euthyphro:
Socrates encounters Euthyphro outside the court of Athen's seeing as how Meletus is accusing Socrates of corrupting the young and for not believing in the Gods that the city believes in. While Euthyphro is at the courts because he is prosecuting his own father who killed a laborer that was a murderer. His family believes that prosecuting his own father is impious while in return he believes that they are wrong and they do not know the meaning of piety.
Modern day piety means the quality of being religious or reverent. Throughout Euthyphro, both he and Socrates go back and forth trying to define piety but Socrates does not find any definition of piety that satisfies him.
Apology:
The Apology is an account of Socrates' speech he makes at the trial which he is being charged of corrupting the youth, not believing in the states Gods and in inventing new Gods. Socrates explains that there is a prophecy from the oracle of Delphi that he is the most wisest of all men and he feels it is his duty to question 'wise' men and expose their false wisdom as ignorance. This alone has garnered a lot of admiration amongst the youth but a lot of hate and anger from those he has embarrassed. During the trial, Socrates is found guilty by a narrow margin and instead of accepting exile he tried to counter-offer with paying a fine. The jury declined and sentenced him to death. Socrates warns the jurymen who have voted against him that by silencing their critic they are harming themselves more than by harming him.
Modern day piety means the quality of being religious or reverent. Throughout Euthyphro, both he and Socrates go back and forth trying to define piety but Socrates does not find any definition of piety that satisfies him.
Apology:
The Apology is an account of Socrates' speech he makes at the trial which he is being charged of corrupting the youth, not believing in the states Gods and in inventing new Gods. Socrates explains that there is a prophecy from the oracle of Delphi that he is the most wisest of all men and he feels it is his duty to question 'wise' men and expose their false wisdom as ignorance. This alone has garnered a lot of admiration amongst the youth but a lot of hate and anger from those he has embarrassed. During the trial, Socrates is found guilty by a narrow margin and instead of accepting exile he tried to counter-offer with paying a fine. The jury declined and sentenced him to death. Socrates warns the jurymen who have voted against him that by silencing their critic they are harming themselves more than by harming him.
Crito:
Around the time of Socrates' trial, a galley was sent out by the state for an annual religious mission to the island of Delos. During this time, no executions are permitted and it is why Socrates was kept in prison for a month after the trial. In the meantime, Socrates is visited by his old friend; Crito. Crito has made arrangements to smuggle Socrates out of prison no matter the financial cost or risk to his friends. Socrates' friends also find arrangements for Socrates to have a pleasant life in exile. Crito is trying to rationalize why Socrates should go with him because in him staying he is helping his enemies in wronging him unjustly. and he would be abandoning his sons and leaving them without a father.
Around the time of Socrates' trial, a galley was sent out by the state for an annual religious mission to the island of Delos. During this time, no executions are permitted and it is why Socrates was kept in prison for a month after the trial. In the meantime, Socrates is visited by his old friend; Crito. Crito has made arrangements to smuggle Socrates out of prison no matter the financial cost or risk to his friends. Socrates' friends also find arrangements for Socrates to have a pleasant life in exile. Crito is trying to rationalize why Socrates should go with him because in him staying he is helping his enemies in wronging him unjustly. and he would be abandoning his sons and leaving them without a father.
Socrates in return responds to Crito stating that one shouldn't worry about the public's opinion and only only take into account the opinion of wise men. Socrates determines that leaving and breaking from prison would be unjust of him and that he would be socially breaking the contract he entered which every citizen enters when choosing to live in Athens. However, it is implied by Plato that the authorities would not have minded if Socrates did leave the country.
Meno:
During this dialogue; Meno questions Socrates on the much debated question of if virtue can be taught or rather if it comes by practice or if it acquired naturally. Anythus joins the conversation eventually and states that virtue can be taught but Socrates refutes seeing as how many famous Athenian leaders were ot able to pass on their virtue to their own sons. Socrates and Meno work together to find the definition of virtue with Meno presenting definitions and Socrates dismantling his suggestions. At what point, it was brought up if it is possible to define something they do not know. Which is how Socrates' was led to perform a scale-model elenchus on Meno's slave to solve a problem in geometry via the theory of anamnesis which is the theory of how the soul is eternal and knows everything and we simply need to recollect in order to learn. Towards the end they still do not know what virtue is but at least now they know what they do not know. (Trippy right?! P.s Sometimes you have to read it yourself to truly understand it.)
Phaedo:
Echecrates encounters Phaedo, one of the men present during Socrates final hours and eagerly urges Phaedo to tell what happened. Socrates starts by saying that suicide is wrong but a true philosopher would look forward to death Socrates argues that the soul is immortal and a philosopher works an entire lifetime training it to detach itself from the needs of the body. He has arguments to prove this.
The first is the argument of opposites. Everything comes from its opposite. Like a tall man is tall because he was short in his past life. Death is the opposite of living. Living things come to be out of death things and vice versa. So when we die we do not stay dead but come back alive.
The second argument is the theory of recollection. Essentially, learning is recollecting what we already know. When we are born we forget a lot of what we already knew. Through proper questioning we can recollect. The fact that we lose our knowledge at birth suggests that our soul existed before we were born.
The third argument is from Affinity. Socrates draws a distinction between things that are immaterial, immortal and invisible compared to those that are material, visible and perishable. The soul is of the first kind and the body of the second. This would suggest that the soul has to be immortal to survive death.
Both Simmias and Cebes, Pythagorean philosophers raise objects. Simmias says that the soul is like the attunement of a musical instrument. The attunement only exists so long as the instrument exists. Cebes, hoever, admits the soul is long lived and can outlive bodies but that does not mean the soul is immortal.
Socrates replies to Simmias that his theory of attunement is in conflict with the theory of recollection. While for Cebes, he talks about causation which leads to his fourth argument that the unchanging and invisible Forms are the causes of all things in the world. The Form of life is an essential property of the soul so we cannot think of the soul as being anything but alive. Socrates ends with a myth of what happens to souls after death and drinks the poisonous Hemlock and left the world and drifted on to the next one.
For this book I am giving 5 stars out of 5. I am a huge fan of Philosophy and enjoy it quite a lot. I took a lot of Philosophy and Ancient history classes and I guess unlike most I don't get easily bored with Philosophy books. If you are able to give Philosophy a chance and actually try to understand you will release that you can learn quite a bit. It is definitely not for everybody but it is exhilarating to be reading translations from such a old script.
Meno:
During this dialogue; Meno questions Socrates on the much debated question of if virtue can be taught or rather if it comes by practice or if it acquired naturally. Anythus joins the conversation eventually and states that virtue can be taught but Socrates refutes seeing as how many famous Athenian leaders were ot able to pass on their virtue to their own sons. Socrates and Meno work together to find the definition of virtue with Meno presenting definitions and Socrates dismantling his suggestions. At what point, it was brought up if it is possible to define something they do not know. Which is how Socrates' was led to perform a scale-model elenchus on Meno's slave to solve a problem in geometry via the theory of anamnesis which is the theory of how the soul is eternal and knows everything and we simply need to recollect in order to learn. Towards the end they still do not know what virtue is but at least now they know what they do not know. (Trippy right?! P.s Sometimes you have to read it yourself to truly understand it.)
Phaedo:
Echecrates encounters Phaedo, one of the men present during Socrates final hours and eagerly urges Phaedo to tell what happened. Socrates starts by saying that suicide is wrong but a true philosopher would look forward to death Socrates argues that the soul is immortal and a philosopher works an entire lifetime training it to detach itself from the needs of the body. He has arguments to prove this.
The first is the argument of opposites. Everything comes from its opposite. Like a tall man is tall because he was short in his past life. Death is the opposite of living. Living things come to be out of death things and vice versa. So when we die we do not stay dead but come back alive.
The second argument is the theory of recollection. Essentially, learning is recollecting what we already know. When we are born we forget a lot of what we already knew. Through proper questioning we can recollect. The fact that we lose our knowledge at birth suggests that our soul existed before we were born.
The third argument is from Affinity. Socrates draws a distinction between things that are immaterial, immortal and invisible compared to those that are material, visible and perishable. The soul is of the first kind and the body of the second. This would suggest that the soul has to be immortal to survive death.
Both Simmias and Cebes, Pythagorean philosophers raise objects. Simmias says that the soul is like the attunement of a musical instrument. The attunement only exists so long as the instrument exists. Cebes, hoever, admits the soul is long lived and can outlive bodies but that does not mean the soul is immortal.
Socrates replies to Simmias that his theory of attunement is in conflict with the theory of recollection. While for Cebes, he talks about causation which leads to his fourth argument that the unchanging and invisible Forms are the causes of all things in the world. The Form of life is an essential property of the soul so we cannot think of the soul as being anything but alive. Socrates ends with a myth of what happens to souls after death and drinks the poisonous Hemlock and left the world and drifted on to the next one.
For this book I am giving 5 stars out of 5. I am a huge fan of Philosophy and enjoy it quite a lot. I took a lot of Philosophy and Ancient history classes and I guess unlike most I don't get easily bored with Philosophy books. If you are able to give Philosophy a chance and actually try to understand you will release that you can learn quite a bit. It is definitely not for everybody but it is exhilarating to be reading translations from such a old script.
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