UNDERSTANDING PLATO: The Smart Student's Guide to the Socratic Dialogues and The Republic

Understanding Plato is the first book in a series on classical philosophers. It contains a complete discussion of four of the early Socratic dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno) and Plato's longer and more famous work, The Republic.The series is designed for beginning and intermediate philosophy students who would like more depth than they would ordinarily get from books that give only outlines of the philosopher's thoughts and theories.Each book in the series focuses on both content and philosophical method.Each chapter breaks down the arguments of the philosopher into understandable parts, showing how philosophers reach their conclusions and how they defend against possible objections.Each chapter concludes with a set of questions for thought and discussion. Some questions are on topics that provide an excellent starting point for term papers.References to other books about the philosopher or the topic can be found at the end of the chapter, in footnotes, in textboxes, or at the back of the book.Other books in the Smart Student's Guide series are Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, John Locke's Second Treatise of Government, John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism and On Liberty, Immanuel Kant's Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, and David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.Read more