English 287: Great Books

Links relating to Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo

In these four works, the Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BCE) provides a glimpse of the last days of his mentor Socrates (470-399 BCE).

• In the first, we see Socrates putting his Athenian neighbor Euthyphro through an uncomfortable investigation of his supposed understanding of the virtue of piety.

• In the traumatic days following Athens' defeat in the decades-long war with Sparta (The Peloponnesian War), Socrates himself was charged with what his accusers considered "impiety" (disbelief in the gods recognized by Athens) and corrupting the youth of his community.   In The Apology (the term here means "defense," not a plea for pardon), we have Plato's version of the Socrates' conduct during the trial.

• The execution decreed by the assembly -- death by poison -- had to be delayed until the return of a ship the city had sent on a religious mission.  In the meanwhile, Crito and others among Socrates' friends sought to persuade him to avail himself of the opportunity that they could arrange for him to escape and go into exile.  In The Crito, Socrates leads his friends through an examination of the question of whether it would be right for him to accept their proposal.

• In the last, Socrates' friend Phaedo relates to two other philosophers how Socrates died.  The narrative begins as news comes that the ship has been sighted and will shortly be in port.  Socrates' friends gather to console him, but end up having to be consoled by the condemned man himself, who leads them through an examination of whether it makes sense, for a philosopher, to fear death, explains in quasi-mythological terms his own views of what the afterlife might be like, and drinks the hemlock.

Taken together, these four short works open many avenues into the issues examined by the other readings we are undertaking in this course:

• How does Socrates' conception of what makes life worth living compare with that of Odysseus?  Dante?  Brecht?  Black Elk?  (to name only a few protagonists or authors whom we encounter in the course)

  • Is honor the most important thing to seek, and (if so) what are the essential conditions for its preservation?

  • Is there a life beyond the one we are in?

    • If so, can we know what it is like?

    • How does our conception of death affect our understanding of the worth of life, and of living it in this way or that?

• What should we regard as authoritative in our conduct (including our efforts to know)? 

  • What is justice?

  • How are we to adjudicate the competing claims of traditional norms and understandings on the one hand and individual conscience and critical inquiry on the other?

  • What can be the relation between religious intuition and rational inquiry?  Are they complementary?  antagonistic?  Does one presuppose or take precedence over the other?

  • What is the role of reason in determining truth?  Are there alternative ways of knowing the truth?

  • How can we decide what are our rights and duties?

Helpful contexts:  maps, timelines, photos

Maps

Large map of ancient Greece

Timelines

• 4500 - 700 BCE
• Major Events in Greek History 700 - 169 BCE
• Dr. J's Illustrated Color-Coded Classical Age Timeline (499 - 338 BCE):  the Persian conflict through Alexander the Great.

The Peloponnesian War

• Richard Hooker's summary of The Peloponnesian War.

Study guides

• There is a useful Study Guide to The Last Days of Socrates at Clark College that provides succinct set of interrelated links with basic background information, annotated and illustrated texts (in the Benjamin Jowett translation) of the first two dialogues.

On Socrates

• Biography at 123Books (UK).
• Biography of Socrates at SackLunch.net.
• Socrates site at 20-20 Site. 

On Plato

• Biography at 123Books (UK).
• Plato Links at EpistemeLinks.

On the Euthyphro

• Illustrated & annotated text of The Euthyphro in the Benjamin Jowett translation (at Clark College).
• Analysis of Plato's Euthyphro by William Larkin.
• Outline of Plato's Euthyphro by Cynthia Freeland.
• Guide questions for the study of Plato's Euthyphro by Diane Bowser.

On the Apology of Socrates

• Dr. J's Illustrated Plato's Apology.
• Dr. J's Lecture on Socrates and the Apology.
• Analysis of Plato's Apology by William Larkin.
• Illustrated & annotated text of The Apology in the Benjamin Jowett translation (at Clark College).  There's also a link to a synopsis of this work.

On the Crito

• Illustrated & annotated text of The Crito in the Benjamin Jowett translation (at Clark College).
• Gordon L. Ziniewicz:   "Plato's Socrates: The Crito: Customs (Nomoi) As Parents and Adversaries".  This is a series of 18 running observations on the happenings in the dialogue, followed by 8 thought-provoking Questions for Discussion.
• Analysis of Plato's Crito by William Larkin.
• Bruce Hauptli's Lecture Supplement on the Crito

On the Phaedo

• Outline of Plato's final argument for immortality in the Phaedo by Owen MacLeod.
• Illustrated & annotated text of the death scene from the Phaedo in the Benjamin Jowett translation (at Clarke University).
• Notes and analyses of arguments in the Phaedo by S. Marc Cohen.
• Logical structure and narrative outline of the Phaedo by James Evans.

In general

• Dr. Janice Siegel's New, Consolidated Dr. J Classics.com Website is a rich source of materials on ancient Greece (from the Achaean age, the Homeric era, Classical times, and the Hellenistic era) and ancient Rome.  Here you'll find  intriguing collections of photos, as well as illustrated timelines and lectures, and basic texts from the periods covered.
• Highly worthwhile is N.S. Gill's The Classical Age of Greece - from Persians to Macedonians at About.com.  Through it you can find your way to a wealth of maps, articles, and much more.
• A well-organized guide is Internet Resources:  Ancient Greece, by Richard Hooker (Washington State University).  (Some links are out of date.)
• Another useful place to consult is Jack Lynch's page on Literary Resources -- Classical and Biblical.
• The Perseus Digital Library (the central administration of which resides at Tufts University) is a monumental project with a vast Classics Section.
• The comprehensive links on Ancient Greece are a labor of love by TeacherOz.  (TeacherOz is another of those intrepid web benefactors with whom folks might want to get more acquainted.)

Yet further afield:

• Philosophy on the World Wide Web (at Loyola College, Maryland)

  Suggestions are welcome.  Please send your comments to lyman@ksu.edu .

   Contents copyright © 2005 by Lyman A. Baker. 

Permission is granted for non-commercial educational use; all other rights reserved.

  This page last updated 03 April 2005.