I just picked this up at the library but I've never read any philosophy before. Should I read it...

I just picked this up at the library but I've never read any philosophy before. Should I read it? Is it as cumbersome as Moby Dick?

Which translation is it?

Should start with his dialogues first, then The Republic.

John Llewelyn Dvies and David James Vaughan.

It's Wordsworth.

The Greeks are philosophy 101, go for it.

It's not very hard, but read the introduction on it or chapters prior to Aristotle in Russell's History of Western Philosophy.

Damn, that looks appealing. I wonder if I can find it over here.

I'll suggest reading C. D. C. Reeve's translation, which is easy to read and precise. Bloom is also good, but some sentences are difficult to understand (because of translation, I check Reeve when I reach these kind of sentences.)

If you are interested in beginning of comunism

How about HWP? Does that require a background in phil?

no

No it doesn't need much, although you might want to search some terms in google or a dictionary. Dream of logic is also a good book about Greek philosophy, much like Russell's history but Russell is critical of some philosophers (like Plato and Socrates which might effect your experience) but in Dream of Logic you wont see those kind of criticism and it's somehow simpler than Russell's.

Great. Thank you. I'll get it on Kindle so it's easier

It was Dream of Reason, my bad.
you're welcome buddy

It's pretty accessible, so I'd say go for it, but if you want to start off with something quicker and lighter as an introduction I'd pick up Five Dialogues from Hackett Classics. It's short and phenomenal, and it'll make you water at the mouth to read The Republic.

>Dream of Reason
Not the guy you reccommended it to, but why is so expensive? 172 pounds for a hardcover and -

oh my bad a paperback is offered for 10 pounds. yay

try meno the tetralogy of dialogues around socrates' death first. its the five dialogues the other user mentioned.

i'd recommend magee over russell. much shorter and doesnt lampoon anyone.

It's not a hard read at all. The dialogue is entertaining and the first challenge to the definition of justice will blow your mind. If anything read it just too see the method of arguing.

Sure. While reading keep in mind that Socrates!=Plato.

>Russell
Stop perpetuating this shit meme.
I would suggest Euthyphro, Alcibiades, and Meno first.

>Alcibiades, and Meno
Five Questions book, that guy suggested?

I don't know it, but sure sounds good.