What are the most essential works by plato, all the ones that matter persay?

What are the most essential works by plato, all the ones that matter persay?

all of them, but I guess you're looking for the early works

All of them. You can't read just enough Plato to sound smart.

Friend, I'm sure you have the best intentions in connoting that all of plato's work is essential, but I am not looking to read every single thing plato has ever wrote, I am just interested in having enough knowledge about plato, a respectable amount.

First off, it's per se, not persay. Latin for "through itself."

Anyway, essential Plato.

Read the Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo. Maybe also the Meno.

Then: the Phaedrus, Symposium, Republic.

Advanced level is the Theatetus, Sophist, Statesman.

Just read The Republic and you'll be fine la

got a similar list for aristotle?

congratulations on your decision on reading the greeks and not beginning your understanding of philosophy with nietzsche. you just might make it yet.

I gotta say, having started with the Greeks, there really is a big payoff when you get to Nietzsche.
My boy will always be Hume though.

I read the Politics and the Ethics.
If you're feeling adventurous you could read his Metaphysics. From the little I've seen of it, though, it's a text so dense that only philosophy majors and serious philosophy enthusiasts should concern themselves with it.

>persay

Parmenides

Disagree vehemently. A first time Plato reader does not need to plunge into the behemoth that is The Republic. Start with the Penguin Classic "Death of Socrates" which contains all the diologues surrounding his death. You'll get stuff as light as the Euthyphro (a good lesson in trolling) and as dense as the Phaedo (with all of his ruminations on death). But, most importantly, you'll get the Apology where you'll learn the Socratic project in plain. If you do want to read up on the forms, I suggest getting selections from the Republic, or merely read the sections on The Cave so you can learn about the forms. Anons list for Aristotle is on point (Ethics and Politics will leave you with enough thinking to do without having to crack the bulwark of the Metaphysics, though the Poetics does make for some light, albeit outdated, reading). Cheers, OP, and welcome to a larger life of the mind.

Ayyyyyyyy Regularity Theory nigga my nigga

"History of philosophy without any gaps" is a great intro to Plato podcast, but you need to read the dialogs along with it. It'll Also give you a good foundation in the presocratics and show more clearly how Plato was special in his time (as well as how he wasn't)

"Hey, I'm doing a intro-to-philosophy class, what dialogues I use for course-reading once I get to Plato"-tier: Apology, Euthyphro, Crito, Phaedo, Republic

"I just want to understand most of the references made at the dialogues that most of the later writers and philosophers allude to or talk about"-tier: Apology, Euthyphro, Crito, Phaedo, Republic, Timaeus, Symposium, Phaedrus, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras, Sophist, Statesman, Theaetetus, Laws, Critias , Meno 7th Letter.

"I want to read work attributed to him that isn't short / cut-off or objectively uninteresting and irrelevant in content" tier: Apology, Euthyphro, Crito, Phaedo, Republic, Timaeus, Symposium, Phaedrus, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras, Sophist, Statesman, Theaetetus, Laws, Critias , Meno, 7th Letter, Charmides, Cratylus, Hippias Major, First Alcibiades, Laches, Lysis, Ion, Euthydemus, Menexenus, Theages, Sisyphus, Minos, On Justice, Rival Lovers, Clitophon, Eryxias

Should I just buy his complete works? I really want to. Is plato actually just a meme, is it really so worth while that I should pay 50 bucks for that book and try to get into plato?

It isn't a meme, but you don't need to buy the complete works unless you want them for reference.

Buy annotated versions by reputable translators.

Hacketts complete work edition isn't welcoming to new readers -- little anontation and barely any commentary outside of the short introductions to each work. It's primarily for people to keep around for reference.

I recommend you get individual translations and set ones by Hackett on some of the major dialogues, and decide if you want to go on from there.

there's a nice dover edition with a lot of the dialogs in it and there's the republic. I was thinking about just getting those. That would be under 10 bucks for the both of those books and those are pretty damn big books.

All of Aristotle. You can never read enough Aristotle

>Persay