Aviezer Tucker

Plato for Everyone is a good introduction to the philosophy of Plato; this is especially true if you are put off by the style of most translations of Plato’s works. Aviezer Tucker does a marvelous job of paraphrasing Plato’s dialogues and keeping the context intact. Initially, I thought it would be like that one movie version of Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. You know the one. I don’t remember if it was well received, but I do recall disliking the change of scenery that made a juxtaposition with the words of Shakespeare coming out of the mouths of some modern person.

The Dialogues that are paraphrased are Crito, Meno, Euthyphro, Apology, and Phaedo. They keep the name of Socrates the same while changing both the names of the people he speaks with and the names of the places he is at. For instance, in Crito, Socrates argues against the notion of avoiding a conscription order, even if the order is for a war that he does not agree with. If this seems annoying or cringe-worthy to you then this book might not be for you.

The book is pretty easy to understand, and I can comprehend the reason for its existence. Tucker claimed that many students were lost in the old-timey language and unrelatable situations. It was an enjoyable read and relatively short.… (meer)