Focus Philosophical Library Series

Theaetetus, the Sophist, and the Statesman are a trilogy of Platonic dialogues that show Socrates formulating his conception of philosophy as he prepares the defense for his trial. Originally published together as The Being of the Beautiful, these translations can be read separately or as a trilogy. Each includes an introduction, extensive notes, and comprehensive commentary that examines the trilogy's motifs and relationships.

Seth Benardete is one of the very few contemporary classicists who combine the highest philological competence with a subtlety and taste that approximate that of the ancients. At the same time, he as set himself the entirely modern hermeneutical task of uncovering what the ancients preferred to keep veiled, of making explicit what they indicated, and hence...of showing the naked ugliness of artificial beauty.--Stanley Rose, Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal

Seth Benardete (1930-2001) was professor of classics at New York University. He was the author or translator of many books, most recently The Argument of the Action, Plato's Laws, and Plato's Symposium, all published by the University of Chicago Press.

Sophist

by Plato

Published February 1974

Phaedo

by Plato

Published December 1911

The Phaedo is acknowledged to be one of Plato's greatest masterpieces, showing him both as a philosopher and as a dramatist at the height of his powers. For its moving account of the execution of Socrates, the Phaedo ranks among the supreme literary achievements of antiquity. It is also a seminal document for many ideas deeply ingrained in western culture, and provides one of the best introductions to Plato's thought. This new edition is a revised version of the Clarendon Press translation, and is eminently suitable for readers new to Plato, and ideal for classroom use, thanks to the provision of Stephanus page and letter numbering. This book is intended for general readers with an interest in classical culture, philosophy, religion, and drama. Teachers of philosophy and classical literature and civilization and students at 6th form, undergraduate, and postgraduate level. Other courses: Great Books, History of Ideas, Ancient Greek Philosophy. Translated and edited by: Gallop, David (Trent University, Ontario);

The Timaeus

by Plato

Published December 1929

Timaeus is one of Plato's dialogues, mostly in the form of a long monologue given by the titular character, written circa 360 BC. The work puts forward speculation on the nature of the physical world and human beings. It is followed by the dialogue Critias. Speakers of the dialogue are Socrates, Timaeus of Locri, Hermocrates, and Critias. Some scholars believe that it is not the Critias of the Thirty Tyrants who is appearing in this dialogue, but his grandfather, who is also named Critias.

Parmenides

by Plato

Published 1 March 1912

A dialogue by Plato that shows the earliest discussions by Socrates. As in most of his other works, he presents both sides of an argument in an engaging manner. It depicts a discussion undertaken by Socrates when he was twenty years old and confronting an Eleatic philosopher.

Theaetetus

by Plato

Published 31 January 1921

Symposium

by Plato

Published 1 January 1871

This translation of the Greek text of R.G. Bury is arranged with the Greek and English on facing pages and printed on fine paper with a cloth binding, and illustrated with woodcuts throughout. Plato's "Symposium" gives a vivid picture of upper-class life in late 5th-century Athens. The book also has a strong element of parody and humour, though because its theme is "love", the lighter side of the discussion between Socrates and his fellow guests at dinner has often been neglected. In this new translation Tom Griffiths assumes that readability and fidelity to the spirit of the original are of prime importance.

Nicomachean Ethics

by Aristotle

Published 31 January 1926

Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" is considered to be one of the most important treatises on ethics ever written. In an incredibly detailed study of virtue and vice in man, Aristotle examines one of the most central themes to man, the nature of goodness itself. In Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics," he asserts that virtue is essential to happiness and that man must live in accordance with the "doctrine of the mean" (the balance between excess and deficiency) to achieve such happiness.

Poetics

by Aristotle

Published 1 January 1799

Aristotle's Poetics is a work of transcendent importance, both for the history of literary criticism and in its own right.

In his masterful translation and accompanying notes, Dr. Else makes a special effort to achieve maximum clarity, while remaining faithful to the original. His constant aim is to provide -- for all readers -- a "way in" to Aristotle's processes of thinking about literature.

This important modern translation is made form the 1965 Oxford Classical Text edition of the Poetics by Rudolf Kassel and thus reflects the latest and most authoritative textual scholarship. Not only the translation but the valuable fund of commentary will delight anyone -- literary critic, philosopher, classicist, or general reader -- who want to learn what Aristotle really said.

Politics

by Aristotle

Published December 1905

Aristotle's Politics is a key document in Western political thought. In these first two books Aristotle shows his complete mastery of political theory and practice, and raises many crucial issues still with us today. In Book I he argues vigorously for a political theory based on 'nature'. By nature, man is a 'political animal', one naturally fitted for life in a polis or state. Some people, however, are natural slaves; and women are by nature subordinate to men. Acquisition and exchange are natural, but not trading for profit. In Book II he launches a sharp attack on Plato's two 'utopias', the Republic and the Laws, and also criticizes three historical states reputed to be well governed: Sparta, Crete, and Carthage. This volume contains a close translation of these two books, together with a philosophical commentary. It is well suited to the requirements of readers who do not know Greek.

De Anima

by Aristotle

Published December 1957

Please note, this is the original Greek text.

Socrates and the Sophists

by Plato

Published 15 August 2010

Gorgias and Rhetoric

by Plato and Aristotle

Published 1 October 2008