Early Socratic Dialogues

Ion/Laches/Lysis/Charmides/Hippia Major/Hippias Minor/Euthydemus

‘I am humble enough to learn, so I probe and ask questions, and am extremely grateful to anyone who answers me’

As the father of Western philosophy, who transformed Greek thought with his questioning insights into life and ethics, Socrates was a powerful inspiration – and major irritant – to the Athenians of his day. After his trial and execution on charges of heresy and the corruption of young minds, his greatest pupil, Plato (c. 427 – 347 BC), wrote these early dialogues as an act of homage. Rich in drama and humour, they include the controversial Ion, a debate on poetic inspiration; Laches, in which Socrates seeks to define bravery; and Euthydemus, which considers the relationship between philosophy and politics. Together, these dialogues provide a definitive portrait of the real Socrates and raise issues still keenly debated by philosophers, forming an incisive overview of Plato’s philosophy.

These translations convey the eloquence of the original works. In his general introduction, Trevor J. Saunders discusses Socrates’ philosophy. This edition also includes introductions to each dialogue, bibliographies and an index.