Socrates is on trial for his life. He is charged with impiety and corrupting young people. He presents his own defense, explaining why he has devoted his life to challenging the most powerful and important people in the Greek world. The reason is that rich and famous politicians, priests, poets, and a host of others pretend to know what is good, true, holy, and beautiful, but when Socrates questions them, they are shown to be foolish rather than wise. ©...

Three Socratic dialogues by the ancient Greek philosopher who established the foundations of Western thought. Apology: In this classic text, Plato recounts the trial of his mentor Socrates, who stands accused of rejecting the gods and corrupting the youth of Athens. As recounted by Plato, Socrates defends himself with a profound examination of integrity, citizenship, the nature of truth, and the role of a philosopher. Symposium: Here Plato depicts...

Plato's account of Socrates' trial and death (399 BCE) is one of the most significant moments in western literature and philosophy. In these four works Plato illustrates Socrates' fundamental belief in the necessity for us to èxamine ourselves and others', portraying the man himself living and dying by his philosophy. In Euthyphro, Socrates debates the nature of pìety'; in Apology, he defends himself in court against the charge of impiety; in Crito,...

One of the world's more fascinating subjects - the millennia-old search for answers to the deepest, most fundamental questions of reality. As author Gregory Bassham notes, "[Philosophy's] successes lie largely in the questions themselves, and in the rich and vibrant conversations those questions can provoke as they become increasingly sophisticated and complex." In this book, Bassham chronicles the history of philosophy through 125 ideas and the people...