Customer Reviews

Plato's Theory of Ideas

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This book by Sir David Ross is, for me, the best account of Platos's famous theory of Ideas. The author goes back to Plato's earlyer dialogues and gives a detailed exposition of how the doctrine developed all through the dialogues, how were took the teachings of Socrates and how Plato gave to it full consistence. Especially fine is his account of the Parmenides, one of Plato's mature works. This is, may be, the most difficult of all the dialogues and Ross sheds real clarity on it. This is the book if one wants to get to know Plato's philosophy through his central root. It really helped me in my first readings of the divine Plato.

"In 1948 the Queen's University, Belfast, did me the honour of appointing me to deliver the Memorial Lecture established in memory of the notable historian of ancient thought, Sir Samuel Dill.

I WELCOMED THE OPPORTUNITY OF SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT PLATO'S THEORY OF IDEAS, at which I had been working for some time, and the substance of the lecture is embodied in the final chapter and in other parts of the present book.

I have not thought is necessary, as a rule, to print in the original Greek passages from Plato and other Greek writers, but have been content to translate or to use a good existing translation....."
[from the book of the preface by W. D. R.]