A Plato primer

This book introduces students and general readers to the main theses, concepts, and arguments in Plato's philosophy. Plato's thought, subtle, versatile, and multifaceted, extends over many decades of composition and many philosophical topics, making it difficult to distill. The author overcomes this challenge by starting from the premise that there is a core to Plato's philosophy that can be traced through the spectrum of his writings. He opens with a chapter on the Republic, Plato's major work; he then singles out a particular theme from the Republic for treatment in each of the six subsequent chapters. These themes, which correspond to modern philosophical categories (Knowledge, Reality, Dialectic, Value, Causality and Change, Politics), enable him to bring other Platonic works into his discussion. Featuring a useful "Further Reading" section for those wishing to pursue given topics in the secondary literature, this work is a wide ranging analysis of the original philosophical personality shining through the body of Plato's writings.