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Euthyphro. Apology. Crito. Phaedo. Phaedrus (Loeb Classical Library)

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Like most volumes in the Loeb series, the emphasis is not on word-for-word precision in the translation, but on acheiving greater readability in broader terms. Since the original text in ancient Greek is provided on the facing page, the editors assume that anyone with a little knowledge of Greek can supplement the looseness of the translation by referring to the original. And in general, the compromises made in this way are good ones throughout the series. This particular translation is one of the more succesful in the Loeb series and manages to chart a course quite close to the original while also catching the flavor of idiomatic English.

The mirror text offered in this book is of the most importance to any serious philosophy student. However for the mirror text to have any use you must know some Greek. The Greek text is on one side with Fowler's english translation on the other. It serves as an excellent reference whether using the Fowler translation or another translation because at any point where a misunderstanding occurs which may be due to a word choice in translation, one can simply look at the greek. It serves as a great reference for a person who takes Plato seriously and knows some Greek.

Plato's Apology is one of the most famous books on philosophy. It contains the defense that Plato's teacher Socrates offered at his trial in Athens in 399 BCE before a jury of five hundred Athenians. He was charged with corrupting the young people of Athens with his ideas and with not believing in the gods. Socrates explained what he did, why he did it, and why he was innocent of the charges against him. In his final speech, he also discusses life after death.

Many translations were made of this classic, including the famous scholarly translation in the Loeb Classical Library. The Loeb translation is very good, but it doesn't reflect the colloquialisms of modern American English. For example, the opening sentence in Loeb reads: "How you, men of Athens, have been affected by my accusers, I do not know: but I, for my part, almost forgot my own identity, so persuasively did they talk; and yet there is hardly a word of truth in what they have said."

There are other translations, such as by Steve Kostecke, "Plato's Apology of Socrates," who breaks the opening sentence into two and adds stage directions in brackets. "What you have just experienced at the hands of my accusers - and what effect it had on you, Athenians, - I can only imagine. They spoke so persuasively that I nearly forgot who I was myself because of them, ... [Socrates sweeps his arm toward the prosecution bench.] ... and yet hardly a word of truth came out of their mouths." Nevertheless, the Loeb Classical edition is excellent, easy to read, and the Apology should be understood, since it is a classic with important ideas.

In his final speech, Socrates discusses life after death. He stresses that people should not fear death. There are two possibilities. One, that there is nothing following death; it is like a sleep without dreams, as stated in the Loeb classic: "if it is unconsciousness, like a sleep in which the sleeper does not even dream, death would be a wonderful gain." People enjoy such a sleep. After a difficult day, they look forward to having a dreamless sleep. It is not something to fear. If, on the other hand, we are transported to another world where there are true judges, this too is wonderful, for if we did our best, we have nothing to fear. "I personally should find the life there wonderful." Then he adds: "no evil can come to a man either in life or after death, and God does not neglect him" as long as he does his best.

The translation is easy to follow when looking at both languages, which can sometimes be difficult due to certain liberties most translators rightly take to make the English sound better, yet in this Loeb both good English is used and it sticks to the Greek for the most part. This quality makes it helpful for the student of Greek who needs some help while translating if an instructor is not available.

I read this book in college when I was learning about Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle...and it's been on the bookself since...but I still read it from time to time...interesting if you're into philosophy or history

The four books in this volume are foundational for anyone interested in Western philosophy. They touch on the "BIG" themes like the gods, Truth, Wisdom and Death...

Death is the ultimate bummer in the ancient Greek worldview. It is not a pretty picture. As seen in the Odyssey, death can be a very nasty place. Even for the best---heroes like Achilles, death is like an eternal waiting room with no eventual appointment. How unsurprising then, that Socrates, who loved to turn Greek convention on its ear, would envision death as the ultimate journey, the ultimate freedom.

Socrates sees the chief value of death as the soul's final separation from the horrid constraints of the body. According to him, the body holds back the soul. With it, man can never encounter the ultimate justice, beauty and truth. Without the body, all things seem possible to Socrates. As far as this line of thinking goes, I find Socrates' thought to be very similar to some forms of Buddhism and the more extreme kinds of Christian asceticism (largely influenced by Plato's Socrates).

However, Socrates goes beyond this. He claims that there is some kind of reward that awaits those who willingly come to death. A seat among the gods he calls it...

How ironic then that Socrates dies amidst the worldly concern of a debt that he owes.

How does that old line go? Something about folks trying to save their own life losing it?