Part of the series on: The Dialogues of Plato

Early dialogues:

Apology – Charmides – Crito

Euthyphro – First Alcibiades

Hippias Major – Hippias Minor

Ion – Laches – Lysis

Transitional & middle dialogues:

Cratylus – Euthydemus – Gorgias

Menexenus – Meno – Phaedo

Protagoras – Symposium

Later middle dialogues:

The Republic – Phaedrus

Parmenides – Theaetetus

Late dialogues:

Timaeus – Critias

The Sophist – The Statesman

Philebus – Laws

Of doubtful authenticity:

Clitophon – Epinomis

Epistles – Hipparchus

Minos – Rival Lovers

Second Alcibiades – Theages

This box: view • talk • edit

The Statesman, or Politikos in Greek and Politicus in Latin, is a four part dialogue contained within the work of Plato. The Charmides ( Ancient Greek:) is a Dialogue of Plato, in which Socrates engages a handsome and popular boy in a conversation about the meaning of The Crito (IPA; in English usually) is a short but important Dialogue by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Euthyphro is one of Plato 's early dialogues dated to after 399 BCE. The First Alcibiades or Alcibiades I, a dialogue featuring Alcibiades in conversation with Socrates, is ascribed to Plato, although scholars Hippias Major (or What is Beauty) is one of the dialogues of Plato. Hippias Minor (or On Lying) is thought to be one of Plato 's early works In Plato 's Ion ( Greek:) Socrates discusses with the title character the question of whether the Rhapsode, a professional performer Laches, also known as Courage, is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato, and concerns the topic of Courage. Lysis is a dialogue of Plato which discusses the nature of Friendship. Cratylus ( Greek: Κράτυλος is the name of a dialogue by Plato. Euthydemus (Euthydemos written 380 BCE is dialogue by Plato which satirizes the Logical fallacies of the Sophists. Gorgias is an important Socratic Dialogue in which Plato sets the rhetorician, whose specialty is persuasion in opposition to the Philosopher The Menexenus (Greek Μενέξενоς is a Socratic dialogue of Plato traditionally included in the seventh tetralogy along with the Greater Meno is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato. Written in the Socratic dialectic style, it attempts to determine the definition of Virtue Plato 's Phaedo (ˈfiːdoʊ Greek: Φαίδων, Phaidon) is one of the great Dialogues of his middle period along with Protagoras is a Dialogue of Plato. The main Argument is between the elderly Protagoras, a celebrated Sophist, and The Symposium is a philosophical dialogue written by Plato sometime after 385 BC The Republic ( Greek: / Politeía, meaning "political system" Latin: Res Publica, meaning "public business" or The Phaedrus ( Greek: Φαίδρος written by Plato, is a dialogue between Plato's main Protagonist, Socrates, and Phaedrus an Parmenides is one of the Dialogues of Plato. It is perhaps Plato 's most challenging dialogue The Theætetus ( Greek: Θεαίτητος is one of Plato 's dialogues concerning the nature of knowledge. Timaeus ( Greek: Τίμαιος, Timaios) is a theoretical treatise of Plato in the form of a Socratic dialogue, written Critias, one of Plato 's late Dialogues contains the story of the mighty island kingdom Atlantis and its attempt to conquer Athens, The Sophist ( Greek: Σοφιστής) is one of the late Dialogues of Plato, which was written much later than the Parmenides Philebus (often called The Philebus) is among the last of the late Socratic dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. The Laws is Plato 's last and longest Dialogue. The question asked at the beginning is not "What is law?" as one would expect- that is the question The Clitophon (also Cleitophon) is a dialogue generally ascribed to Plato, though there is some disagreement regarding its Authenticity The Epinomis ( Greek:) is a dialogue in the style of Plato and traditionally included among Plato's works The Epistles of Plato are a series of thirteen letters traditionally included in the Platonic corpus The Hipparchus is a dialogue attributed to the classical Greek philosopher and writer Plato. Minos is one of the dialogues of Plato, featuring Socrates and a Companion Rival Lovers ( Greek:) is a Socratic dialogue included in the traditional corpus of Plato 's works though its authenticity has been doubted The Second Alcibiades or Alcibiades II is a dialogue ascribed to Plato, featuring Alcibiades conversing with Socrates, Theages is one of the dialogues of Plato, featuring Demodocus, Socrates and Theages. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece

The text is a dialogue between Socrates and his student Theodorus, another student named Socrates (referred to as Young Socrates), and an unknown philosopher expounding the ideas of the statesman. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a Politician or other notable figure of State who has had a long and respected career in This unknown philosopher from Elea is referred to in the text as the "visitor". Elea may refer to Velia (town, Italy Elea Kyrenia, Cyprus Elea Nicosia, Cyprus

The text is a continuation of the dialogue preceding it, named Sophist , which is a dialogue between Socrates, Theaetetus and the visitor. The Sophist ( Greek: Σοφιστής) is one of the late Dialogues of Plato, which was written much later than the Parmenides SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. Theaetetus (ca 417 BC &ndash 369 BC of Athens son of Euphronius of the Athenian Deme Sunium, was a classical Greek mathematician

According to John M. Cooper, the dialogue's intention was to clarify that to rule or have political power called for a specialized knowledge. ^[1] The statesman was one who possesses this special knowledge of how to rule justly and well and to have the best interests of the citizens at heart. It is presented that politics should be run by this knowledge, or gnosis. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being This claim runs counter to those who, the visitor points out, actually did rule. Those that rule merely give the appearance of such knowledge, but in the end are really sophists or imitators.

For, as the visitor points out, a sophist is one who does not know the right thing to do, but only appears to others as someone who does. The visitor's ideal of how one arrives at this knowledge of power is through social divisions. The visitor takes great pains to be very specific about where and why the divisions are needed in order to properly rule the citizenry.

Translations

• Benjamin Jowett, 1892: full text
• Harold North Fowler, 1921: full text (English & Greek)

References

Bibliography

• Cooper, John M. and Hutchinson, D. S. (eds. ) Plato: Complete Works. Hackett Publishing Co. Inc. , 1997. ISBN 0-87220-349-2