The Trial and Death of Socrates: Four Dialogues (Dover Thrift Editions)

Socrates was the son of a midwife and a sculptor and his very particular philosophical method was performed by means of very well-formulated questions, that showed that the answers to the questions asked were already there at the very first time, and only had to be delivered out of the inner self by means of philosophical questioning, something akin to the help a mid-wife does to a pregnant woman in her labours prior before the baby is born.

In my opinion, the most important part of this small booklet is the Apology of Socrates, where the wisest of all men shows to the tribunal that the only superiority he had over his accusers was that he did not pretend to know anything at all, while his accusers boasted a knowledge they did not have. The ideals formulated or used by Socrates ("Know thyself") were later adopted by the Christian religion and evidenced a man in a inner struggle with his internal "daemon", a word which originally had quite another meaning than the modern one, and showed a man with a great coherence in life and, as Nietzche said, most important, a coherence in the face of death, cause to death he was sentenced by his accusers, who were, as predicted by Socrates, to be ruined after his death.

Plato is the apparent heir of the socratic tradition and in this small opus pays his tributes to the master of his youth.
I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.


Plato and Socrates and the Immortality of the Soul.   September 13, 2004
zonaras (Jimbo's House of Pie)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

This edition of _The Trial and Death of Socrates_ contains Plato's four famous dialogues between Socrates and his friends and detractors before the noteworthy philosopher was condemned to death by the Athenian tribunal in ancient Greece. I find this topic of interest because of the close relationship between Platonic thought and early Christian philosophy during the period of roughly 250-750 A.D. when the fundamentals of Christian doctrine were formed. It is clear from a reading of this series of texts why Plato, although a pagan preceding Christ for several hundred years, was very popular among Christian prelates, monks, polemicists, theologians and philosophers. The texts make somewhat awkward reading because they are presented in the forms of dialogue between Socrates and his friends and detractors and thus Plato does not have to express unequivocally what his own opinions are regarding the debates. The first text discussed in this volume is entitled "Euthyphro" and discusses the nature of piety. Here Plato has Socrates question many of the concepts associated with the polytheistic worship and piety of ancient Athens. Socrates' famous "Apology" is a treatise against the accusations of the courts of Athens. Socrates argues for the fact that only God is ultimately the source of wisdom and in all his interactions with fellow poets, artists, philosophers, statesmen, etc., he has not found true wisdom, at least not any wisdom that he himself does not already possess. In "Crito" Socrates debates with those among his followers who entreat him to flee Athens and take up refuge in a safer city. "Phaedo" contains the account of Socrates' last dialogue and concludes with Socrates' death by consuming hemlock poison as ordered by the Athenian court. Socrates explains that he does not fear death because the physical things of this world are impermanent and only the soul is ultimately immortal. Death is in fact an improvement in man's condition and he advocates a type of otherworldly asceticism (disdaining external appearances, food, clothing and human love) as the true path for the philosopher who wants to understand and contemplate the nature of reality in a pure fashion. The body dies and the soul is immortal and therefore the most important thing is to attend to the metaphysical realities while in this life. Socrates argues, among other things, that the soul is pre-existent of the body, a concept which was taken up later by the Christian philosopher Origen and later condemned as heresy. He also believes in a concept of the afterlife where the soul is either punished for wrongdoing or rewarded for good. Some souls go through a process of purification before they can advance, similar to the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. _The Trial and Death of Socrates_ is an excellent read about an important figure in the history of religion and philosophy, especially as it shows the mindset of one who was willing to die for his beliefs (martyrdom). Not all of Plato and Socrates ideas were adopted by the Church but despite certain discrepancies they were nonetheless influential.


A Heavy Price for Socrates, a Light Price for You   March 31, 2001
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

While the logic propounded by Socrates in this account has since been successfully refuted as being flawed, it is his moral position which he was willing to die for which underlines the historicity more than the details of the ideas presented. The power of Socrates thus lies in his unabashed search for truth, even at the expense of his own life. What makes this book profound is that it is a non-fiction; The account of Socrates' trial and death as here recorded by Plato will give the reader an idea of what it means to die for a cause which seems right...its moral import is worth more than a million bucks.


A Mind's Never-ending Journey for the Truth   November 18, 2003
Justin Baas (Newburgh, Indiana United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Socrates is a true soul searcher! When this book was assigned to me to read, I wasn't too excited, but by the end I was reading parts that weren't assigned to me. This book is full of logical thinking that changes your whole perspective on things. After reading about Socrates I started thinking in a new fashion. In the book Socrates adresses such topics as the essence of piety, the form of the world, and life after death. It is a shame that Socrates did not write any ideas down himself.