Euthydemus

by Plato

Overview

Euthydemus is a philosophical dialogue written by Plato, believed to have been composed in the late 5th century BCE. The dialogue takes place between Socrates and two sophists, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, who claim to be able to teach their students the art of winning any argument, regardless of the truthfulness of their statements.Throughout the dialogue, Socrates challenges the sophists' claims and exposes the flaws in their reasoning. He argues that true knowledge and wisdom cannot be gained through mere rhetoric and that the pursuit of truth should be the ultimate goal of any philosophical inquiry.The dialogue is structured as a series of back-and-forth arguments and counterarguments, with Socrates using his signature Socratic method to question and challenge the sophists' claims. The discussion covers a wide range of topics, including the nature of knowledge, the relationship between language and reality, and the role of logic in philosophical inquiry.Euthydemus is considered one of Plato's lesser-known works, but it is still highly regarded for its insights into the nature of philosophy and the limitations of rhetorical argumentation. It is also notable for its use of humor and satire, as Socrates exposes the absurdity of the sophists' claims through witty and ironic dialogue.We contrived at last, somehow or other, to agree in a general conclusion, that he who had wisdom had no need of fortune. I then recalled to his mind the previous state of the question. You remember, I said, our making the admission that we should be happy and fortunate if many good things were present with us?This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604506389
Publisher:	Serenity Publishers
Publication date:	02/03/2009
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.21(d)

About the Author

Plato (428/427 or 424/423 - 348/347 BC) was an Athenian philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, founder of the Platonist school of thought, and the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world.
He is widely considered the pivotal figure in the history of Ancient Greek and Western philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle.[a] Plato has also often been cited as one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality.[4] The so-called Neoplatonism of philosophers like Plotinus and Porphyry influenced Saint Augustine and thus Christianity. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."[5]
Plato was the innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms in philosophy. Plato is also considered the founder of Western political philosophy. His most famous contribution is the theory of Forms known by pure reason, in which Plato presents a solution to the problem of universals known as Platonism (also ambiguously called either Platonic realism or Platonic idealism). He is also the namesake of Platonic love and the Platonic solids.
His own most decisive philosophical influences are usually thought to have been along with Socrates, the pre-Socratics Pythagoras, Heraclitus and Parmenides, although few of his predecessors' works remain extant and much of what we know about these figures today derives from Plato himself.[b] Unlike the work of nearly all of his contemporaries, Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years.[7] Although their popularity has fluctuated over the years, the works of Plato have never been without readers since the time they were written

Editorial Reviews

This is the best translation available of a lively and challenging dialogue, which sets before the reader profound questions about the use and misuse of reason. --Myles Burnyeat, University of Cambridge

From the Publisher