Critias is an unfinished dialogue between Critias, Socrates, Timaeus, and Hermocrates. in which Critias tells stories of ancient Athens and Atlantis and of how the Earth was managed by the gods. Atlantis is described as an ideal state whose people eventually become debased with greed and power. The dialogue ends abruptly when Zeus is about to announce his judgment on the Atlanteans, because this portion of the manuscript is lost...

This dialogue between Socrates and Cratylus on language and its relationship with reality is often considered one of Plato's masterpieces. The concept of the arbitrary relationship between a thing and the name assigned discussed here is one of the principal concerns of semiotics...

In the Annals, Tacitus provides a history of imperial Rome during the period from 14 A.D. to 66 A.D., which includes the reigns of emperors Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. He focuses more on the intrigues, brutality, and corruption of the ruling class and less on the function of government. Tacitus is a good story teller as well as historian, and the Annals provides a view into the machinations of power and ambition in imperial Rome. ..

Plato describes the last hours of Socrates's life in this dialogue. The notions of reincarnation, the immortality of the soul, and speculation on the afterlife are presented. Plato ends the dialogue with a poignant description of Socrates accepting the cup of hemlock...

Plato uses this dialogue to discuss the realms of being and becoming. Socrates engages in a conversation with Parmenides, who founded the Eleatic school of philosophy, and Zeno, who reads a defense of Parmenides? theory of monism...

In attempting to discern what virtue is and whether it can be taught, Socrates engages in a conversation with Meno about knowledge as elicited recollection and demonstrates the concept with Meno?s slave. Finally, virtue is presented as an unteachable quality rooted that does not originate in thought or knowledge. ..

Human desire and the nature of friendship are explored in the dialogue between Socrates and the boys Lysis and Menexenus. Socrates's inquiries are made with awareness of the unrequited love for Lysis of another boy, Hippothales, who remains silent and unseen throughout the conversation. In the end, Socrates admits that how and why friendships are formed remain unanswered questions...

This is the last of Plato's twenty-five philosophical dialogues. When the Cretans decide to redevelop a long deserted city, they establish a commission and consult three elders on writing a new constitution and legal code. The dialogue develops over twelve books that outline a constitution, the organization of civic bodies, and the regulation of public services. ..

This dialogue between Socrates and two generals, Nicias and Laches, seeks to discover the nature of courage. In the course of their discussion, the generals move from asserting the purely physical courage of the warrior to understanding that true courage is instinctive, moral, and knowing...

Euripides exposes the flaws in the Olympic gods to his fellow Athenians in Ion. Apollo, the god of truth, rapes young Creusa, and she abandons their son in a cave. Years later, she and her husband Xuthus beg Delphi to heal their childlessness, whereupon they learn that Ion, a temple servant, is Xuthus' son. Creusa rages against Apollo for letting their child die while allowing Xuthus' illegitimate son to survive, and plots to kill Ion; however, Ion is actually Creusa's son by Apollo and, at this revelation, Ion demands the truth of his father...

This title is from the Hayes Barton Press "Originals" series, a collection of classic fiction and nonfiction works from world literature published in the VitalBook format. Look for new titles soon, as we expand to include more works from both Western and Eastern cultures. Available exclusively from the VitalSource Store...

Socrates, on trial for not believing in the gods of Athens (or impiety) and introducing new gods to corrupt the youth of the city, engages in a dialogue on impiety with the seer Euthphro outside the courthouse. In the course of their discussion, none of the definitions or explanations of piety stand up under analysis, and it appears that Socrates has been charged with a crime that his accusers themselves do not understand. ..

Socrates engages in a dialogue demonstrating the eristic versus dialectic methods of argument with Crito and the brothers Euthydemus and Dionysodorus. This philosophical satire is the least studied of Plato?s Dialogues, despite its elegant structure, oratory, and humor. ..

This title is from the Hayes Barton Press "Originals" series, a collection of classic fiction and nonfiction works from world literature published in the VitalBook format. Look for new titles soon, as we expand to include more works from both Western and Eastern cultures. Available exclusively from the VitalSource Store...

In The Sophist, Plato teases out that being and not-being are not opposites, but rather differences, and that, contrary to the sophist's position, truth and falsehood do exist. This dialogue marks a shift in Plato's writing as he became more interested in discussing the metaphysical...

In The Republic (better translated as "society" or "the state"), Plato wrestles with the ethical question of whether it is always better to be just than unjust. In the course of the debate, Socrates uses the good city as a metaphor to help define justice as a virtue of a person, and the discussion turns to political questions about the organization of cities, what constitutes a bad regime, and the ideal state. The Republic is one of the most famous and influential of the Socratic dialogues...