Tired of wading through dense translations of Plato that make you feel like you need a philosophy degree just to understand the table of contents? This book has you covered.
Plato in Plain English takes the greatest hits of the world’s most influential philosopher — the Forms, the Allegory of the Cave, Platonic love, the Demiurge, the World-Soul, and more — and explains them the way your smartest (and slightly sarcastic) friend would over coffee.
Inside, you’ll find:
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A breezy tour of Plato’s life, from privileged Athenian aristocrat to the founder of the Academy.
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Why so many of his works are dialogues (spoiler: they’re not actual interviews).
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A closer look at love, beauty, and the awkward role of pederasty in ancient Athens.
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Plato’s wild ideas about triangles, cosmic harmony, and the universe as a giant living animal.
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His complicated afterlife as a proto-Christian, an authoritarian dreamer, and a pop culture meme.
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What happened when his star student, Aristotle, spent 20 years taking notes and then said, “Nice try, teacher — but no.”
Whether you’re curious about philosophy, looking to impress someone at a party, or just want to know why The Matrix owes a debt to a guy in a toga, this book breaks Plato down without breaking your brain.
Plato was wrong about almost everything — but gloriously wrong in ways that shaped two millennia of thought. And now you can finally see why, without having to suffer through untranslated Greek.
