Description
Book SynopsisIt has been said that, after the Bible, Plato's dialogues are the most influential books in Western culture. And of the dialogues, the
Symposium is the most delightful and accessible, requiring no special knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy or customs. Dramatizing a party in fifth-century B.C. Athens, the deceptively unassuming
Symposium introduces--in the guise of convivial after-dinner conversation--profound ideas about the nature of love. In
Phaedrus, here published together with the
Symposium, Plato discusses the place of eloquence in expounding truth. In both dialogues, Socrates plays the leading role, by turns teasing, arguing, analyzing, joking, inspiring, and cajoling his followers into understanding ideas that have remained central to Western thought through the centuries.
