"Plato is philosophy, and philosophy, Plato."-Emerson

Plato's Dialogues comprise the most influential body of philosophy of the Western world. Written in the form of debates, the Dialogues are filled with philosophy's continual search for truth and the moving drama of intellectual conflict. The Republic, a brilliant discussion of the ideal state, presents Plato's basic views of education, justice, and the philosopher- king, the wise and just prototype of a ruler who could cure the world's ills. In the dialogues Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, the imposing figure of Socrates, Plato's beloved mentor, emerges as Socrates discusses respect for law and authority, human virtue, and the immortality of the soul. The additional dialogues contain thinking on such ageless subjects as art, virtue, and the nature of love and beauty.

"In Rouse's pages Socrates' strength of mind, his dedication to the philosophical truth, are borne in on the modern reader with something of the power that impressed and disturbed the ancient Greeks."-Time

"There has been no adequate translation of Plato since Jowett, and the time is right for one. I think Rouse has done it."-Dudley Fitts