Robert Cavalier. Illustrated by Eric Lurio.

All philosophy is a footnote to Plato. No other person so shaped the Western world and the way we think about it. Plato For Beginners introduces the reader to Socrates, Plato’s mentor whose martyrdom led Plato to formulate a new system of knowledge based on reason. The book also covers the history of Greece and his influence over time, from early Christianity to the 20th Century. The reader learns what he meant by Truth, Beauty, and the Good. Classical dialogues such as Symposium, Phaedo, The Apology and The Republic are all explored in the context of his time and our own.