Plato in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes) [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Paul Strathern (Author), Robert Whitfield (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2003 | Series: Philosophers in 90 Minutes

In Plato in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Plato's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Plato's work; a brief list of suggested reading for those who wish to push further; and chronologies that place Plato within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Strathern, a graduate of Dublin's Trinity College, has lectured in philosophy and mathematics and written history, travel literature, and fiction. His attempt to provide the reader with accessible guidance to the ideas of a half dozen great names in the canon of Western philosophy fails on all counts except readability. The time given in the title for each presentation is about three times that even the least-informed reader might require, for these books are nothing but outlines. Half of each volume highlights the more peculiar details of the individual philosopher's personal life, with passing remarks about one or two substantive ideas from his work. The remaining pages include surprisingly brief quotations from the works (an epigraphic style suitable to presenting a sample of Nietzsche's writing but hardly appropriate to Kant's), chronologies (including one five-page "Philosophical Dates" that is repeated in each tiny volume), and a suggestion of four or five books for further reading. The intended audience for this series is unclear as there is too little substance to provide either the sort of introduction offered by such competing works as the Writers and Readers's illustrated series "For Beginners" (e.g., Robert Cavalier's Plato for Beginners, 1990) or critical understanding of difficult concepts as Frederick Copleston and William Jones have achieved in their histories of Western thought (e.g., Copleston's A History of Philosophy, 1985). Strathern's publisher promises more than a dozen future volumes in this series but, given the severe limitations of the first six under review here, it is not possible to recommend that we look forward to them.?Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them...I find them hard to stop reading. (Bernstein, Richard New York Times )

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise. (Jim Holt Wall Street Journal )

Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character...I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization. (Katherine A. Powers The Boston Globe )

A godsend in this era of the short attention span. (Daryl Royster Alexander New York Times ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786124717
• ISBN-13: 978-0786124718
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,532,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Great Intro to the life of Plato", September 24, 2000

By 

Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Plato in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

This book will give anyone a better idea of Plato's life, time, ideas, and work. Although Strathern does not reflect on the concepts and work of Plato to an extent of understanding his actual Philosophy, but he rather briefly gives quotes and hints as to provide a basic overview of his outlook on the world in general. If Strathern was in fact to give a more comprehensive account of the ideas and work of Plato the whole point of compacting Plato's life into a "90 minute" book would be gone. I myself had a very minute understanding of the man Plato. But from reading this book I found a lot of useful information that broadened my knowledge of the life and times of Plato. In reading this book you will meet some people that changed Plato's life, aswell as the treasured wisdom Plato handed to many individuals and to the whole of society. So for the amount of time it takes to read the book in contrast with the valuable information accessible, I give this book four stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and Sweet, December 12, 2008

By 

Kyle D. Hayes (Chino Hills, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plato in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this short synopsis of Plato's life. Think of these books (the 90 minute philosopher series) as a short lecture you would attend in college. Very brief, yet there was enough detail to get a high level understanding of the timeline of Plato's life and his main achievements.

For instance, I learned in this book the relationship between Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, which I had not known before. I also did not know that Plato started the first university.

This was just a taste to please the palate enough to know whether you would like to find another resource to gain more detailed knowledge and a deeper look at Plato.

I listened to this book as I don't have much time for reading since I am on the road so much. The narrator was great and the recording excellent (as to be expected from Blackstone Audio).

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable quick introduction to Plato, October 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Plato in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

This book is not, and was not meant to be, an in-depth analysis of the philosophy of Plato. It is a very brief overview of his life and works. I really appreciated the subtle humour which made the book fun to read.