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Understanding Plato: The Smart Student's Guide to the Socratic Dialogues and The Republic by [Houlgate, Laurence D.]

Understanding Plato: The Smart Student's Guide to the Socratic Dialogues and The Republic Kindle Edition

by Laurence D. Houlgate (Author)

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Understanding Plato introduces beginning philosophy students to the nature of philosophy and philosophical method by providing a clear description and analysis of four of the Socratic dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno), and Plato’s Republic. This book is a “companion” in the sense that students can consult it for commentary and guidance while reading the original classic works.

Understanding Plato is the first in a series of companion volumes offering students both a summary and critical analysis of some of the classics of ethics and political philosophy. A forthcoming volume will be devoted to John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. The third volume will discuss John Stuart Mill’s ethical theory in Utilitarianism and his discussion of the limits of state power over the individual in On Liberty. Chapters in all volumes in the series will conclude with a set of questions for thought and discussion.

Laurence Houlgate is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. He received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles, and has previously held professorships at the University of California, Santa Barbara and George Mason University, Virginia. He has published many articles in legal and philosophical journals and is the author of The Child and the State; Family and State; and Morals, Marriage and Parenthood.

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File Size: 1402 KB
Print Length: 184 pages
Publication Date: July 7, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B01I5GAIJI
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Arthur C. W. Bethel

A Good Supplemental Textbook with a Lot of Potential

July 11, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

First, it is refreshing to see an introductory philosophy text that is in no way "dumbed-down" to meet the supposed low comprehension and attention span of today's students. Professor Houlgate lays out arguments by premise and conclusion, calls attention to their structure and purpose, and challenges students to think about what they've read by posing concrete questions that require them to read the relevant text carefully. There's no room for them to spin airy speculations.

Professor Houlgate does a good job of easily and usefully introducing broader philosophical concepts, such as the difference between induction and deduction, defining concepts by genus and species, hypothesis testing, and the analytic-synthetic distinction, in ways that illuminate what is going on in the classic text and put it into a larger context. This is in keeping with his stated goal of going beyond just teaching students to grasp the arguments in classic texts; he wants to lead them to understand the nature of the philosophic enterprise more generally.

The book has some typos: "... the only the dialogue..." in 2.1, for example. Some glitches affect sense: at 2.2, "... it's wrong to be concerned about the dead man since he was murdered," should have been "... since he was a murderer," perhaps? Some of these typos may be due to an overbearing spell-check that turned "reductio ad absurdum" into "reduction ad absurdum" at 3.3.3. (His footnote spells it correctly.)

As a matter of style, justifying both margins creates some sentences with distracting white spaces.

If I were still teaching, I'd consider adopting this book as a supplemental text, though I'd hope for a corrected edition.

A. C. W. Bethel (Ph.D)
Professor (Emeritus)
Cal Poly Philosophy Department

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DrZ

You will not spend a more useful $2. 99 this year

July 10, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Wish I had this book when I took my Intro Philosophy those many decades ago. In a lucid style, Houlgate gives you running commentary that provide some insights, but more importantly, pathways to insights you can develop yourself. The many questions at the end of each chapter provide challenges, and if done either by yourself, with a small study group, or by the instructor as class exercises, you find ways to come to your own understanding. Also, many of the questions are fodder for possible term papers or projects. You will not spend a more useful $2.99 this year, even if, like me, you read this book to reach back and pull out understandings from many years ago. As a recently retired university professor, I can tell you how valuable it is to have a resource like this for our beginning students.

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Kevalya

A Valuable Contribution

July 9, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

...to a very large literature.

Prof. Houlgate understands that it is impossible to understand the Western philosophical tradition without having at least a basic understanding of Plato. It is written clearly and responsibly; I would recommend it for anyone seeking a better understanding of the Western philosophical tradition. It would also be useful for any introductory course in Philosophy- and I have taught my share of these. Indeed I plan to recommend it to my upper division Ancient Philosophy students next year.

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philosopherslibrary

I highly recommend this excellent introduction to Plato's dialogues

July 20, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I highly recommend this excellent introduction to Plato's dialogues. The writing is crystal clear and accessible, with a rich, analytical treatment of Plato's historical context, issues of concern, dialectic method and complex lines of reasoning. This student guide is certain to help students understand Plato's views and arguments. Beyond that, it provides a deeper understanding of the purpose, methods and value of philosophical inquiry in the larger sense. What I thoroughly enjoyed about reading Prof. Houlgate's book was the undercurrent of his deep respect for and love of reason itself; that may be its best lesson in a world that is sorely in need of careful, reflective reasoning about what to believe and do.

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Stuart Silvers

Plato Unwound

July 20, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Plato Unwound: Professor Laurence Houlgate has written an excellent elucidation of the arguments comprising the quintessence of Plato’s philosophy as articulated in the dialogues. Houlgate’s characterization of the structure of Plato’s arguments not only clarifies and analyzes the structure of those arguments, he provides the reader with a detailed explanation of the criteria by which different types of argument, e.g., deductive, inductive, analogical, etc. are evaluated in terms of their rational coherence and soundness. In so doing Prof. Houlgate gives the reader the basic logically analytic tools for the assessment of philosophical arguments and scientific theories whatever the subject matter.

This is the stuff of philosophical analysis tout court and therein lies the added value of Houlgate’s volume. It’s more than a companion to Plato’s Dialogues (and, as he stresses, not a replacement or substitute for the original texts.) It is in itself an excellent introduction to the concepts that comprise and motivate logically analytic philosophy.

Stuart Silvers
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy

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Barbara R Shapard

A Clear understanding of Plato

July 10, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

In order to know ourselves, others and how we create and relate to society we need to understand the context of
the history of thought and the evolution of the human perspective. Plato is one of those imperative cornerstones of thought that Dr. Houlgate conceptualizes in a clear logical framework that is as enjoyable as it is enriching to read and understand. I highly recommend this read for all those who are interested in understanding Plato and I look forward to more conceptual gifts from Dr. Houlgate.

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CharlieBooksNYC

READING UNDERSTANDING PLATO WHILE HAVING A NY EGG CREAM SODA - THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. CHEERS!!!

March 27, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

EXCELLENT WORK. COOL AND SMOOTH LIKE AN OITMENT FOR THE MIND. THE BEST SYNOPSIS ON PLATO OUT THERE! SHORT AND TO THE POINT.

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Nipomo

Get an understanding of Plato and philosophy.

July 11, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book does a great job in helping the reader understand Plato. Upgrade you knowledge of philosophy.

The author makes understanding Plato easy.

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Most recent customer reviews

SDS

A "Smart Student's" companion to Houlgate's text.

Students might gain a greater appreciation for Professor Houlgate's "Understanding Plato" if they read as a companion volume the short, student-friendly, introductory...Read more

Published 24 days ago

Davis

Five Stars

The best book on Plato ever published for beginning philosophy students .

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xlikcwhoaax

Amazing!

As a student it is always nice to have such dense material articulated in such a clear manner and this book definitely succeeds in this respect!Read more

Published 1 year ago

Margie-Beth

A student primer in philosophy.

This book should be a huge help for students trying to understand the method of philosophy, especially during their first philosophy course.

Published 1 year ago

Craig Fleming

A Text to Make Smart Students Even Smarter

During my years of teaching, I often told my students that every class they took was, in essence, a course in philosophy.Read more

Published 1 year ago

Cathy from California

Invaluable... I only wish I could order ...

Invaluable...I only wish I could order a real book...to have and hold....

Published 1 year ago

Joseph Abrahans, M.D.

I find myself handicapped in commenting on this enormous contribution ...

I find myself handicapped in commenting on this enormous contribution to epistemology by lack of time to go into it in even more than a cursory fashion.Read more

Published 1 year ago

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