Plato's Works:
Various Groupings of Plato's Writings

Compiled by Clifton D. Healy

© 1999 Clifton D. Healy

The materials organized below are derived from the sources indicated.  Any errors expressed are solely my own. 


Plato's Works
(And Works Attributed to Him)

 
Platonic Authorship Disputed Platonic Authorship Spurious
Euthyphro  Alcibiades  Second Alcibiades 
Apology  Greater Hippias  Hipparchus 
Crito  Clitophon  Rival Lovers 
Phaedo  Letter VII  Theages 
Cratylus  Epigrams 4-6, 8-18  Minos 
Theaetetus    Epinomis 
Sophist    Definitions 
Statesman    On Justice 
Permenides    On Virtue 
Philebus    Demodocus 
Symposium    Sisyphus 
Phaedrus    Halcyon 
Charmides    Eryxias 
Laches    Axiochus 
Lysis    Letters I-VI, VIII-XIII 
Euthydemus     
Protagoras     
Gorgias     
Meno     
Lesser Hippias     
Ion     
Menexenus     
Republic     
Timaeus     
Critias     
Laws     
Epigrams 1-3, 7   

Note: These are the views derived from introductory material by John M Cooper in Plato: Complete Works, Hackett, 1997.
 
 

The Tetralogies of Thrasyllus


Euthyphro  Apology  Crito  Phaedo 
Cratylus  Theaetetus  Sophist  Statesman 
Parmenides  Philebus  Symposium  Phaedrus 
1st Alcibiades  2nd Alcibiades  Hipparchus  Rival Lovers 
Theages  Charmides  Laches  Lysis 
Euthydemus  Protagoras  Gorgias  Meno 
Greater Hippias  Lesser Hippias  Io  Menexenus 
Clitophon  Republic  Timaeus  Critias 
Minos  Laws  Epinomis  Letters 

  
Proposed Chronological Orders for Plato's Works

Hamilton and Cairns Cooper*
Apology  Early Socratic Dialogues
Crito       Euthyphro 
Phaedo       Apology 
Charmides       Crito 
Laches       Charmides 
Lysis       Laches 
Euthyphro       Lysis 
Menexenus       Euthydemus 
Lesser Hippias       Protagoras 
Ion       Gorgias 
Gorgias       Lesser Hippias 
Protagoras       Ion 
Meno       Menexenus 
Euthydemus  Middle Works
Cratylus       Phaedo 
Phaedrus       Cratylus 
Symposium       Theaetetus 
Republic       Parmenides 
Theaetetus       Symposium 
Parmenides       Phaedrus 
Sophist       Meno 
Statesman       Republic 
Philebus  Late Works
Timaeus       Timaeus 
Critias       Critias 
Laws       Sophist 
       Statesman 
       Philebus 
       Laws 

*It should be noted that Cooper rejects the chronological approach, which he asserts is mostly conjecture and a priori assumptions, to reading and studying Plato; though he doesn't deny some benefit for attempting to determine the times of composition as they relate to Plato's developing thought.
 
 

Some Memorable Passages from Plato

 
Passage Location
Meno's Slave and the Geometry Lesson  Meno 82a-86d 
Why a philosopher is not afraid to die  Phaedo 63c-70d 
Aristophanes' view of the sexes  Symposium 190e-193d 
The Charioteer (the tripartite soul)  Phaedrus 253d-e 
The Ring of Gyges (made the wearer invisible) The Republic Bk II, 359d-360a
The Myth of the Cave  The Republic Bk VII, 514a-517a 
The Wax Block  Theaetetus 193d-e 
The "Mud, Hair and Filth" Critique  Parmenides 130 
Eight Hypothoses on Unity  Parmenides 137b-166c 

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[Last updated 18 November 2001]

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