Customer Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Choice
Comment: I highly recommend this book. It made me want to read more of Plato's dialogues. Anyone that even slightly desires read about philosophy should at least start wih this as a primer.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Read for anyone who desires a great lesson in Logic!
Comment: If you are entering college as a freshman and especially if you are entering the field of Philosophy, I urge you to buy this book! Read it, study it, and learn its' tools of wisdom! In fact, no matter what field of study you are going into, you will appreciate the use of logic presented in this fantastic "story" format.
In sum, I highly recommend this booklet as a prerequisite to beinning any study of philosophy, hence, logic.
Gary L. Foley, MBA
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensible Philosophy
Comment: I had to buy this book for a freshmen philosophy course, five years later I decided to read it cover to cover and see what all the real fuss was about.
First off, between the back-and-forth of Socrates and the excellent translation by Grube, this book is much easier to read then many other philosophy texts (most notably, Descartes). I am not going to argue the logic of the book here, but since most of it is repetitive questions, use of analogies, and point-counterpoint, I found this very easy to follow and understand. I would reread sections mainly to see the the delicacy of the argument, not because certain concepts were too philosophical and hard to grasp.
All the same, it's five books on philosophy, though the bulk of the text is Phaedo, so you have to be in the mindset to read that material.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The trial, imprisonment, and death of Socrates
Comment: These Five Dialogues cover the most famous (or infamous) portion of Socrates life--his trial and subsequent execution. In this they are historically invaluable.
Plato lays out each dialogue with great artistic prowess (and the translators, for their part, keep everything smooth and pleasant). Society has fully internalized this art and anyone unfamiliar with it is at a disadvantage when considering anything subsequent found in the Western tradition. In this they are culturally invaluable.
One finds also in these dialogues the very basics of Platonic thought--most notably the theory of Forms. There are, of course, many other concepts introduced, from politics to metaphysics. In this the dialogues are philosophically invaluable.
If I haven't yet convinced you to pick up a copy of Five Dialogues I don't know what will, but perhaps you would be interested to know that the book contains good (but short) introductions to each dialogue, informative (although rare) footnotes, and an extensive (if outdated) suggested reading list? I hope that did the trick, because this set of dialogues is, well, invaluable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Core of Greek Philosophy Contained 156 Pages
Comment: I am not going to give you a synopsis of each dialogue. What I will say is that this is easily one of the most important reads of modern times. Most people would say that if you are interested in the art of philosophy then this is a must. I am willing to go a step further. If you are interested in life and the social aspects of life then this is a must read. Therefore almost everyone capable should read this. If you read these dialogues, and I mean really read them, it will have a profound effect on how you view life and interaction. I am by no means a philosopher, but a political scientist. The only problem is that you really have to want to read it to get. When you are ready to commit, buy this book, read it, and watch your outlook on how you view life change before your very eyes. What makes this very book so great, is that you get all 5 dialogues for such a small price.
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