Laches

Plato, 427？ BCE-347？ BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 67K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Laches by PlatoAuthor: Plato, 427? BCE-347? BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Dec 1, 1998

Editor's review

Laches is one of Plato's early dialogues, centering on the virtue of courage. Through conversations between Socrates and two generals as well as prominent Athenians, it probes layer by layer what kind of knowledge courage is and whether it can be taught. The dialogue is short and clearly structured, making it a typical sample of Plato's early "definitional" method: questions keep pressing forward, yet the conclusion often ends in perplexity—and this very sense of incompleteness is part of the pleasure of reading. This edition is an English translation from the Project Gutenberg public-domain text, convenient for free access and repeated study. It is suitable as firsthand material for beginners in ancient Greek philosophy, and also for reading alongside short dialogues such as Euthyphro and Charmides to observe the common pattern of Socratic questioning. There is no need to rush toward a conclusion; the point is to follow the turns of the argument.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Philosophy readers new to Plato who want to begin with a short dialogue
Philosophy students who need ancient Greek ethical terminology and argumentative examples
General readers interested in the Socratic method of questioning
Organizers and participants preparing book-club discussions on virtue

Not a good fit for

Readers who expect a systematic ethical conclusion delivered directly
Readers accustomed to the rigorous argumentative structure of modern analytic philosophy and impatient with the indirectness of the dialogue form
Beginners who struggle with English reading and have no parallel translation at hand

Reading tips

First read the whole text to clarify the flow of the dialogue, then go back and mark each turning point in Socrates' questioning.
While reading, try to answer "What is courage?" yourself and compare your answer with those of the characters one by one.
Read it alongside short dialogues such as Euthyphro and summarize the common structure of the early dialogues.
After finishing, consult an introduction or a philosophy dictionary entry to check the translation of key terms.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I understand this dialogue without a philosophy background?

Yes. This piece is short and its setting is concrete; the discussion revolves around courage as experienced in daily life and does not rely on complex terminology. It is advisable to read through once to get a sense of the argument's direction, then consult a philosophy dictionary or introduction for key concepts rather than seeking complete understanding from the start.

What is the core conclusion of this dialogue?

The dialogue does not offer a definite definition; instead, its questioning exposes difficulties in each party's understanding of courage, making it a typical "aporetic" ending. The value of reading lies in the argumentative process itself rather than in remembering a conclusion; this also plants seeds for the fuller discussions of virtue in later Platonic dialogues.

How difficult is the English translation to read?

This is a dialogue, with relatively short sentences and vocabulary drawn mainly from everyday ethical language; overall it is less difficult than Plato's middle and late works. Readers with college-level English reading ability can try reading it directly; if it feels difficult, they can work through it paragraph by paragraph alongside a Chinese translation.

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About the author

Plato, 427？ BCE-347？ BCE Author

Plato (c. 427–347 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher. Reliable details of his life are limited in public sources, and his thought and writings are generally known through later accounts. The library holds 65 of his works, including the multi-volume Republic (Πολιτεία), the Symposium, and the Phaedo. These works are mostly dialogues with Socrates as the central figure, unfolding through question and answer around justice, the governance of the city, love, the soul, and knowledge, combining philosophical inquiry with dramatic literary form. The Republic, which discusses the ideal city and justice, is especially influential. Plato's style is marked by analogy, argument, and open-ended conclusions, and he has had a lasting influence on later Western philosophy and political thought.