Position:Home>Philosophy> Question: The Work's of Plato?

Any order that you want!. I suggest you begin with Plato's Apology and you may be a VERY OLD MAN by the time you read all of his dialogues because 36 dialogues have been attributed to Plato, with "critics" at various places and times doubting all but about 5 or 6 of them to be actual works by Plato!.

There is a general consensus that about 28 of the Dialogues are Plato's works!. But if you read The Apology and then Plato's 2nd and 7th letters, you get a pretty clear idea as to why Plato established the Academy so that philosophy could be passed on --- NOT BY WRITTEN WORKS --- but, rather, by face to face real dialogues or investigations by living persons --- rather than dead writers, which is one of the reasons WHY we have universities and colleges today!.

I think that the best Plato site on the web is Msr!. Bernard Suzanne's site at http://www!.plato-dialogues!.org, although, I, personally don't believe Suzanne's "new theory" that Plato wrote 28 dialogues in a very short time to "teach philosophy" via such writings!. Both the Academy itself and Plato's letters (especially the 2nd and 7th letters --- Yes! The authenticity of those letters has also been doubted by critics!. But nobody doubts that Plato established the Academy to train philosophers to be rulers or by some act of "providence" to train a ruler/King into becoming a philosopher!.) But Suzanne's "theory" doesn't detract from his Plato site at all!.

He has maps of all the places in Greece about which Plato/Socrates speaks in the dialogues!. He has the "time lines" of all the presocratic Greek philosphers discussed by Socrates and dialogue partners!. The maps are "interactive" and clickable!. He describes the various demes and their locations in Attica!. Its a really great site!.

And Suzanne also gives a suggested reading order of the dialogues in TETRALOGIES (groups of 4 dialogues) and the reasons why he suggests that Order which is:

1!. ALCIBIADES I (Most serious experts doubt that Plato wrote this one!. Suzanne thinks he did!.):- Lysis; Laches; Charmides

2!. PROTAGORAS:- Hippias Major; Gorgias; Hippias Minor!.

3!. MENO:- Eutyphro (My favorite after The Apology KB); The Apology; Crito!.

4!. THE SYMPOSIUM (where Alcibiades interrupts, while in a state of intoxication, unlike the others who are sober):- Phaedrus; The Republic; Phaedo

5 CRATYLUS: Ion; Euthydemus; and Menexenus

6!. PARMENIDES: Theaetetus; The Sophist; and The Statesman!.

7 PHILEBUS: Timaeus; Critias; and The Laws!.

So that is 28 dialogues in 7 group/tetralogies of 4 dialogues for each tetralogy!.

Personally I have The Bollingen Series LXXI published by Pinceton edited by Edith Hamilton and Huntingdon Cairns, entitled PLATO The Collected Dialogues Including the Letters; Library of Congress Catalogue No!. 61-11758!.

But you can get all of Plato's works as translated by Benjamin Jowett at a link supplied by Suzanne at Nice France, where the links are in French but Plato's works as translated by Jowett are mentioned as being "en Anglais" (in English) or something like that!.

Good luck!. You'll be a lot older than merely in High School when you finally read (if you actually read them all) all 28 dialogues suggested by Suzanne or all 36 of the works attributed to Plato (but, as mentioned doubted to be Plato's works by "critics")!.

KevinWww@QuestionHome@Com

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Plato has many works, and there is no real way to put them all in a certain order!. However, to start I would recommend reading Euthyphro, then Apology!.

Edit: Try the West & West translation!. Both Euthyphro and Apology are included in their translation called "4 Texts on Socrates"!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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There are so many!. Just read it in order of the book!. That will make the most sense!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

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