Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Plato - Apology and Crito

I read Plato with the hopes of expanding my reading of the classics. It was not something I read in high school or college, and yet they are some of the most important of the classics. I was very confused during my reading of Apology on who these essays were about. At first I thought they were about Plato but later guessed they were about Socrates. After looking up related articles in Wikipedia I finally understood that these essays were about Socrates' last days, his trial, judgment, and imprisonment. The version of the essays I was reading did not have introductory material, commentary or background information. I knew Plato was a philosopher and that he was either a teacher or student of Socrates - I didn't know the possible relationship of the two. The reading was easier than I expected, especially after I knew the essays were written by Plato about his teacher Socrates. The ease of reading probably depends on the translation and supplementary information.

These essays are not something that can be read once and then forgotten. Perhaps I will try them again. This is one quote I gleaned from Apology:
A man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong - acting the part of a good man or a bad.

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