Tags
Summary
Editor's review
From an editor's perspective, the book's value goes far beyond recording a historical dialogue. It presents the classical source of the 'spirit of contract' and the 'duty to obey the law' in Western political philosophy: Socrates refuses to flee not out of fear of death but on the basis of rational deduction — since an individual enjoys the rights granted by the city's laws, he is obliged to accept its verdict, even if that verdict is unjust. This choice, which places morality above life, still provokes deep discussion about civil disobedience and the conflict between conscience and law.
Particularly noteworthy is the 'personified laws' monologue in the dialogue, in which Plato, speaking through the laws, raises a proposition ahead of its time: there exists a kind of 'implicit contract' between the individual and the community. This argument not only influenced the later development of social contract theory but also provides a classical reference for the ethical foundations of modern rule-of-law societies. Although the book is only about fifty pages, every passage merits repeated reading; it is best read together with Plato's Apology and Phaedo to form the 'death of Socrates' trilogy, allowing a fuller appreciation of the coherence of his philosophical system.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the origins of Western political philosophy
- Learners who want to understand the relationship between civic duty and legal ethics
- Humanities students seeking close-reading practice on classic texts
- Thinkers concerned with the meaning of life and moral choices
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a plot-driven narrative work
- Readers seeking a pragmatic life guide
Reading tips
- Read the Apology first to understand the background of the trial, then enter this dialogue
- Pay attention to how Socrates turns moral argument into logical deduction
- Can be compared with modern works of legal philosophy (e.g., Fuller's The Morality of Law) for further reflection
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 正文一
- 正文二
- 正文三
- 正文四
- 正文五
FAQ
Do I need prior knowledge of ancient Greek history to read this book?
Do the views in the dialogue represent Plato's own thought?
How does this book relate to the Republic?
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About the author
Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher. Born into an aristocratic Athenian family, he studied under Socrates, later founded the Academy, and taught Aristotle. Public sources on the details of his life are limited, and no exact dates of birth and death are recorded. He wrote mainly in dialogue form, letting figures such as Socrates examine questions through conversation—a form that is both dramatic and speculative. His works center on the theory of Forms, justice, the soul, love, and rhetoric. Representative works include the Republic, Phaedrus, Timaeus, the Apology of Socrates, and Phaedo, several of which appear in Greek-Chinese bilingual or complete Chinese translations. His thought established the fundamental questions and modes of discussion in Western philosophy and has had a profound influence on later philosophy, political theory, and education.
Pu Lin, whose original name is Xiong Lin, was born in 1970 in Wanzhou, Chongqing. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Renmin University of China and completed postdoctoral work at Heidelberg University in Germany. He is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Sichuan University and has served as its department chair and as director of the university's Office of Social Science Research. His research covers ancient Greek philosophy, medieval philosophy, and German philosophy, and he reads ancient Greek, Latin, and German. He is known in Chinese-language scholarship for leading, largely single-handedly, a Greek-Chinese bilingual translation of the Complete Works of Plato, with published volumes including Phaedrus, Phaedo, Apology of Socrates, Crito, Philebus, Ion, and Hippias Major. His translations stay close to the Greek originals and offer reliable bilingual texts for studying Plato. Seven of his works are listed here, mostly in philosophy and Western philosophy, suited to both specialists and general readers.
