Philebus

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

4.3

Word count: 262K words
Chapters: 27

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.Philebus by PlatoAuthor: Plato, 427? BCE-347? BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: May 1, 1999

Editor's review

Philebus is a major late Platonic dialogue on the relationship between the good and pleasure, unfolding through argument between Socrates, Philebus and Protarchus as it examines pleasure, wisdom, the mixed life and the classification of the highest good. Its value lies not in easy conclusions but in showing how Plato's late methodology—division and dialectic—is applied to ethical questions. Readers encounter dense conceptual distinctions and many argumentative steps; the pace is slow, and precisely for that reason it suits readers willing to follow the reasoning, take notes and reread. As a public-domain English e-book it is easy to search and read alongside other texts, making it useful as a supplement for courses in classical philosophy and for self-learners with a basic interest in Greek ethics. Treat it as mental training rather than light reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of classical philosophy who need to study Plato's late dialogues and ethical arguments
Ethics learners interested in the relation between pleasure and the good who are willing to analyze concepts
Self-learners who want to practice reading philosophical arguments and taking notes
Researchers who need a public-domain English text for comparison or citation

Not a good fit for

Readers new to Plato who want a simple introductory guide first
General readers who prefer plot and story and have little patience for long arguments
People who only want quick conclusions and will not follow the steps of reasoning

Reading tips

Read a reliable introduction to the dialogue first to learn the characters and core questions before entering the text.
As you read, use a table to record how concepts such as pleasure, wisdom and the mixed life are defined and redefined.
After each stretch of argument, restate its structure in your own words, then check whether it holds.
Read alongside other late Platonic dialogues to observe differences in method.

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

What is this book mainly about?

It examines pleasure, wisdom and the mixed life, asking which life is closer to the good and discussing the classification and value of pleasure and knowledge. The core issues are ethical and methodological rather than narrative.

Can I read it without a philosophy background?

Yes, but it will be difficult. The dialogue is argument-dense with many conceptual distinctions; it is best to first acquire some background in Plato's thought and Greek ethics, or read with an introductory guide section by section, otherwise it is easy to lose the thread.

Is this edition suitable for citation?

This is a public-domain English electronic text, convenient for searching and reading, but when citing you should note the edition information and pagination system; for academic writing it is advisable to check authoritative translations or critical editions and to state the source of the electronic version used.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.