In the Crito Socrates repeatedly refers to doing what is right as compared to doing what is expedient or what will placate others. The point he arrives at in his reasoning for following the laws provides an early example of a social contract, but he deliberately avoids examining possible conflicts (such as a concern he […]

There are several areas in the Crito I highlighted in the previous post that I plan on discussing in additional posts like this one. For this post I want to look at the conflict between Socrates’ conclusion of the Crito that he must obey the laws with the following statement he made in the Apology […]

Somewhere in this procession the “Socratic Revolution” takes place: the warrior ethic of Achilles at Troy is superseded by the civic ethic of Socrates in Athens. –from Grand Strategy: Literature, Statecraft, and World Order by Charles Hill (Yale University Press, 2010), page 32. I had planned on a series of post about the Crito that […]

As the beginning of the Phaedo relates, Socrates did not die until a month after his trial, which followed by a day the sailing of the Athenian state galley on an annual religious mission to the island of Delos; no executions were permitted during its absence. Crito comes to tell Socrates of its anticipated arrival […]

So what to think of Socrates’ defense and Plato’s presentation of it? There are a few points I want to get down on paper (I wrote this at a Easter family get-together) while the dialogue still rattles around in my thoughts. Having read Thucydides a few months ago, Socrates’ dialogue with the city of Athens […]

This post looks at Plato’s Apology from 38b to the end at 42a. The jury returns with Socrates’ sentence of death and he gives his last speech in the Apology following a three-part construction, similar to many other parts in the work. In this instance he speaks to those that condemned him to death and/or […]

This post looks at Plato’s Apology from 35e to 38b, Socrates’ response to his conviction and his offers for punishment. I’m going to quote and paraphrase Plato’s presentation based on G.M.A. Grube’s translation. Socrates begins his speech after the jury has returned with a verdict of guilty and Meletus has asked for a penalty of […]

This post looks at Plato’s Apology from 34b to 35e which encompasses Socrates’ closing defense statement. I’m going to quote and paraphrase Plato’s presentation based on G.M.A. Grube’s translation unless otherwise noted. Socrates says he will not beg the jury for acquittal, nor will he bring family and friends to arouse all possible pity. But […]

This post looks at the section of Plato’s Apology from 28a to 34b, wrapping up the last of Socrates’ formal defense. In this section Socrates turns to what he really wants to talk about—what makes Socrates Socrates and what Athens should be doing. This section builds slowly but surely as Socrates explores the virtues to […]

This post looks at the section of Plato’s Apology from 24b to 28a, where Plato directly addresses the accusations of Meletus. I’m going to quote and paraphrase Plato’s presentation based on G.M.A. Grube’s translation. This section proves to be the only sustained address by Socrates to the formal charges. Even here he seems to treat […]

This post looks at the section of Plato’s Apology from 21a to 24b in which Plato explores the impact of the Delphic oracle. I’m going to quote and paraphrase Plato’s presentation based on G.M.A. Grube’s translation. (21a – 23b) In the previous post I mentioned how the oracle at Delphi told Chaerephon, in reply to […]

This post looks at the section of Plato’s Apology from 19a to 21a which addresses the old prejudice against Socrates, gives his view of teaching sophistry, and presents the Delphic oracle on his wisdom. I’m going to paraphrase Plato’s presentation since this section is longer using G.M.A. Grube’s translation and add comments as I go. […]

This post looks at the section covering 18a to 19a of the Apology which comes after Socrates’ introduction in the previous section and lays out how he will respond to his charges. I’ll quote from the Benjamin Jowett translation at Project Gutenberg. And first, I have to reply to the older charges and to my […]

I’ll quote from the Benjamin Jowett translation at Project Gutenberg, although I may occasionally reference the G.M.A. Grube translation in my book. How you, O Athenians, have been affected by my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that they almost made me forget who I was—so persuasively did they speak; and yet they have […]

I’m going to take a slightly different approach with Plato’s Apology. The work is remarkable and I think worth exploring (or revisiting for those who have already read it) so I’ll take extra time and posts to quote excerpts and make comments along the way. I’d like to quote the first paragraph of the introduction […]

My earlier posts on Euthyphro provide links to the text and commentary. They also cover some of the drama, arguments and general online resources on Plato. This post covers some final thoughts on Euthyphro. All quotes from the dialogue in this post are from the translation by G.M.A. Grube. Since the Euthyphro ends in an […]

Several versions of Euthyphro are available online, including translations by Benjamin Jowett and Cathal Woods and Ryan Pack. LibriVox has an audio version of the dialogue. Online guides to the dialogue can be found by at the Wikipedia summary. My first post on Euthyphro can be found here and my online resources post for Plato can is located […]

From the introduction of Euthyphro in Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper: The scene is the agora or central marketplace of Athens, before the offices of the magistrate who registers and makes preliminary inquiries into charges brought under the laws protecting the city from the gods’ displeasure. There Socrates meets Euthyphro—Socrates is on […]