Plato - Five Dialogues - Apology, Phaedo, Euthyphro, Crito, Meno

By: Plato

Narrated by: Stacey M. Patterson, Peter Coates

Plato was a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition. Unlike nearly all of Plato's philosophical contemporaries, Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years. The works which are most often assigned to Plato's early years are all considered to be Socratic dialogues, written from 399 to 387. Plato's Middle dialogues were writtten from 387 to 361 and Plato's latter dialogues were written in the period between 361 and his death in 347.

This anthology volume includes Five Dialogues of Plato: Euthyphro - Apology - Crito - Phaedo - Meno. Apology, Crito, and Phaedo are dialogues in which Plato details the Philosopher Socrates' last days. Meno is a Socratic dialogue that attempts to determine the definition of virtue in general, rather than particular virtues, such as justice or temperance. Plato's Euthyphro is set in the weeks leading up to Socrate's trial, it features Socrates and Euthyphro, a religious expert who attempts to define piety or holiness. Plato's works are often textbook required reading for courses in politics & social sciences, philosophy, humanities, and Greek & Roman studies. This anthology volume includes many of Plato's most popular and studied works. The dialogues of Plato - Early, Transitional and middle, Later middle, Phaedo, Later middle, Late, Of doubtful authenticity.

Plato - Five Dialogues:

• Apology
• Phaedo
• Euthyphro
• Crito
• Meno

PLEASE NOTE: when you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

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Classic book poorly performed

The story of Socrate’s last days recorded by Plato is a classic book which is a great story and invokes much thinking. But this version is so poorly performed by the reader it is hard to listen to. The edits leave you distracted. Find another version to listen to.

Bait and Switch

Though I love the dialogues of Plato, this recording is terribly done. The man in the preview is only there for the first dialogue, and all of the others are done by a woman that messes up constantly. She repeats herself, starts sentences over, or interjects words from later recordings that don’t match the timing and tone of the reading.

Editing needs to be fixed

Meno has a lot of mistakes that were not edited out. Otherwise the performances were good.

Text timeless. Introductory essay worth having. Otherwise just OK.

The translator I judge to be Jowett though that is not indicated anywhere (wake up, Audible — this is an injustice to readers and translators alike). The introductory essay (about the Apology) is worth having and is not available in other recordings. Both it and the Apology itself are well performed. The subsequent 4 dialogues are read with a halting cadence which lacks felicity and can obscure meaning, not to mention full of nonstandard (in my view) pronunciations of Greek names. It is tolerable and more easily intelligible at 1.2-1.5x speed.

Terrible Audio

I’m honestly surprised the second’s narrator’s audio is allowed to be published here and even sold. It’s really hard to follow, and there’s almost no emotion or expression to match the text. The delivery feels very flat and disconnected from the meaning of the words. Instead of bringing the text to life, it sounds more like someone slowly reading to a child, without any depth or engagement. For something people are paying for, I would expect a much clearer narration with tone, pacing, and emotion that actually helps the listener understand and connect with the material.