Plato (Selected Passages) edited by :RW Livingstone 1940 Type:NF Philosophy
 
80% : One of the greatest thinkers. His works are packed full of enlightnements, understandings and inspiration.
Review : Amazingly enlightened ideas. Unfortunately a little difficult to read and not so exciting to read. A good introduction to the works of the founder of western thinking and into how we can begin to make the world a better place. I can really relate to him : a voice completely outside mainstream society, finding it largely crazy and with vast room for improvement . Even though I have not studied him before I had evolved the same system of thinking
meaning :Think ! It is the way you work out what to do and help us make the world a better place. . There are many things wrong with society we can begin to fix them and it begins at the individual level if evryone begins to think (ie reason) and take charge of their lives
synopsis :I wasn't reading the works directly instead what I was reading was selected and edited by an Oxford professor. Plato uses the device of writing up debates between other people. Through this vehicle he is able to express many ideas without having to fear persecution. He covers a vast range of topics.Since it's annotated it's a lot simpler than reading Plato directly. Apart from the fundamental of thought he expresses a number of other ideas e.g. communism, justice, anti-sexism, fairness. Though others I disagree with anti-atheism, fines for not being married etc
See also 2. Summary and Full Analysis

Comments : Wow ! Yes ! I am amazed with how closely I Identify with him. Thinking what is right is the most important thing and you have to get down to Fundamentals and build your arguments with truths which cannot be refuted not unsubstantianed assumptions.
OK we have a status quo in society and culture ,but there is surely something better and we should try and work out what it is.
It's a pity that even though modern society has adopted a number of his ideas it still hasn't got to his level never mind build up from them. We are still looking up democracy while he was criticisng it etc.

Also I am a little suspicious of possible Christian propaganda slipping into the translation.

It's quiet difficult to read so it took me a week to do a full analysis (much to my mothers irritation).. See also Detailed Conclusions


see my notes about classic works inspired by Plato Utopia by Thomas More written 500 years ago and Walden by Henry David Thoreau written 150 years ago.

LINKS : 2. My Analysis of Plato
Online Plato texts from The Project Gutenberg .. Good notes on Republic , Good Discussion

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