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A review by 4lbxrtoii
Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo by Plato
3.0
“I am better off than he is,—for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know.”
“There is no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable discourse.”
Respectfully, that's a lot of yapping! I mostly picked this up to help my dear friend Anne with her PHIL 100 term paper. As a writing consultant at my university, it’s part of my job to stay familiar with the material students may write on, and this classic collection definitely fits the bill.
Reading Five Dialogues feels like sitting in on a never-ending debate. The conversations are dense, full of questions that lead to more questions (and almost no answers), and, while fascinating, they demand a lot of focus. Socrates is at his most Socratic here, turning every simple concept into an existential puzzle.
That said, these dialogues do showcase the foundation of Western philosophy and provide a lot to think about. The themes—ethics, the pursuit of knowledge, and the meaning of life and death—are timeless, and Plato’s writing (or Socrates’ arguing) encourages readers to dig deep and question their own beliefs.
While I appreciated the significance of these works, I can’t say I enjoyed them on a personal level. They can be dry, repetitive, and a bit exhausting, especially if you’re not already invested in philosophical discussions. Still, they’re invaluable for understanding the origins of philosophical thought, and I found it rewarding to revisit these texts through the lens of Anne’s coursework.
In the end, I respect Five Dialogues for what it is: a cornerstone of philosophy that continues to spark debate centuries later. Would I have read it on my own? Probably not (but I would have to read it for my Minor). But it definitely makes you think—and I suppose that’s the point!
“There is no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable discourse.”
Respectfully, that's a lot of yapping! I mostly picked this up to help my dear friend Anne with her PHIL 100 term paper. As a writing consultant at my university, it’s part of my job to stay familiar with the material students may write on, and this classic collection definitely fits the bill.
Reading Five Dialogues feels like sitting in on a never-ending debate. The conversations are dense, full of questions that lead to more questions (and almost no answers), and, while fascinating, they demand a lot of focus. Socrates is at his most Socratic here, turning every simple concept into an existential puzzle.
That said, these dialogues do showcase the foundation of Western philosophy and provide a lot to think about. The themes—ethics, the pursuit of knowledge, and the meaning of life and death—are timeless, and Plato’s writing (or Socrates’ arguing) encourages readers to dig deep and question their own beliefs.
While I appreciated the significance of these works, I can’t say I enjoyed them on a personal level. They can be dry, repetitive, and a bit exhausting, especially if you’re not already invested in philosophical discussions. Still, they’re invaluable for understanding the origins of philosophical thought, and I found it rewarding to revisit these texts through the lens of Anne’s coursework.
In the end, I respect Five Dialogues for what it is: a cornerstone of philosophy that continues to spark debate centuries later. Would I have read it on my own? Probably not (but I would have to read it for my Minor). But it definitely makes you think—and I suppose that’s the point!