The works of Plato (ca. 427-347 B.c.) have long been considered among the most influential in Western philosophy. Born into the Athenian aristocracy during a period of political unrest, Plato strove to reconcile the political and moral; his writings reflect his twin concerns of reform in both the city-state and in men's ideas about the whole nature of realitv. There could not be one without the other.

 Among the most influential thinkers in Western history, Plato presented his thought in a series of dramatic dialogues in whichd ifferent speakers present various aspects of a philosophical problem. This volume contains two of the most interesting and important of these dialogues. The philosophic goal of the Symposium is to discover the ultimate manifestation of the love that controls the world, leading to a hoped-for mystic union with eternal and supercosmic beauty. Phaedrus contains a discussion of the psychology of love, resulting in the concept of the familiar Platonic "forms" as objects of transcendental emotion. Both dialogues offer crucial insights into mystical and aesthetic aspects of Platonic doctrine. In this inexpensive edition of the renowned Jowett translation, they will be welcomed by anyone interested in Greek thought or the philosophy of Plato.

THE SYMPOSIUM

PHAEDRUS