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The Platonic dialogues
Plato wrote approximately thirty dialogues, all of which have survived in excellent condition -- a unique occurrence in the history of ancient philosophy. It is very probable that Plato’s first writings immediately followed Socrates’ death. Scholars distinguish the dialogues of Plato’s maturity from the early Socratic dialogues, on the assumption that Plato gradually broke free from Socrates’ influence and was hence able to put forward his own philosophical views. Moreover this break is usually located in 387 BCE, when Plato returned from Sicily and founded the Academy. The later dialogues also form a different group, in which Plato seems to revise some points of his own philosophical approach.
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THE PLATONIC DIALOGUES The established grouping of Plato’s dialogues in three phases |
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1. Early (in alphabetical order) |
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ALCIBIADES or On the nature of man APOLOGY OF SOCRATES GORGIAS or On rhetoric EUTHYPHRO or On holiness HIPPIAS MAJOR or On the beautiful HIPPIAS MINOR or On falsehood ION or On the Iliad CRITO or On duty in action LACHES or On courage LYSIS or On friendship MENEXENOS or funeral oration PROTAGORAS or The sophists CHARMIDES or On temperance |
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Transitional |
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EUTHYDEMUS or The disputatious man CRATYLUS or On rectitude in naming MENO or On virtue |
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2. Middle (in chronological order) |
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PHAEDO or On the soul SYMPOSIUM or On love REPUBLIC or On justice PHAEDRUS or On the beautiful |
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Transitional |
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THEAETETUS or On knowledge PARMENIDES or On forms |
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3. Later (in chronological order) |
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SOPHIST or On being STATESMAN or On the art of governing TIMAEUS or On nature CRITIAS or The Atlantid PHILEBUS or On pleasure LAWS or On legislation |
Under Plato’s name thirteen epistles have come down to us, of which only the seventh is considered genuine, as well as some dialogues that are nowadays considered spurious (Second Alcibiades, Hipparchus, Rival Lovers, Clitophon, Epinomis, Theages, Minos).
