Plato's Euthyrphro, Apology, and Crito portray Socrates' words and deeds during his trial for disbelieving in the Gods of Athens and corrupting the Athenian youth, and constitute a defense of the man Socrates and of his way of life, the philosophic life. The twelve essays in the volume, written by leading classical philosophers, investigate various aspects of these works of Plato, including the significance of Plato's characters, Socrates's revolutionary religious ideas, and the relationship between historical events and Plato's texts. Readers will find their appreciation of Plato's works greatly enriched by these essays.

Contributions by: Mark McPherran, P T. Geach, S Marc Cohen, Gregory Vlastos, E De Strycker, S R. Slings, Donald Morrison, Terence Irwin, M F. Burnyeat, Thomas C. Brickhouse, Nicholas D. Smith, Richard Kraut, David Bostock, Verity Harte