Socrates ancient words are still true, and the ideas found in Platos Dialogues still form the foundation of a thinking persons education. This superb collection contains excellent contemporary translations selected for their clarity and accessibility to todays reader, as well as an incisive introduction by Erich Segal, which reveals Platos life and clarifies the philosophical issues examined in each dialogue. The first four dialogues recount the trial and execution of Socratesthe extraordinary tragedy that changed Platos life and forever altered the course of Western thought. Other dialogues create a rich tableau of intellectual life in Athens in the fourth century b.c., and examine such timelessand timelyissues as the nature of virtue and love, knowledge and truth, society and the individual. Resounding with the humor and astounding brilliance of Socrates, the immortal iconoclast, these great works remain powerful, probing, and essential.From the Paperback edition.