The Dialogues of Plato, written between 427 and 347 BC, rank being among the most important and influential works in Western thought. Most famous are the initial four, where Plato casts his teacher Socrates as the central disputant in colloquies that brilliantly probe a vast spectrum of philosophical suggestions and issues, included in this art, beauty, virtue, and the type of like. Socrates’ ancient phrases are still true, and the concepts found in Plato’s Dialogues still form the foundation of the thinking person’s education. When Socrates is accused by his opponents of crimes against the condition, included in this “impiety” and “corruption of the youthful,” his trial and death end up being the dramatic final establishing for his message.

These first four of Plato’s dialogues are offered unabridged, as translated from the distinguished classical scholar Benjamin Jowett:

1. Euthyphro 2. Apology 3. Crito 4. Phaedo