Symposium, the Apology, and the Allegory of the Cave

By: Plato, Benjamin Jowett - translator

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

This collection brings together three of Plato's most enduring classics: the "Symposium", the "Apology", and the famous "Allegory of the Cave" from the Republic. The "Symposium", a dialogue on the nature and purpose of love centered around the ideals of beauty and goodness, is arguably the deepest inquiry of its kind in Western philosophy. The "Apology", Plato's account of the speech given by Socrates at his trial in 399 BC, constitutes an essential defense of Socrates' life and philosophy. Finally, the "Allegory of the Cave", written as a fictional dialogue between Socrates and Plato's brother, Glaucon, is a profound commentary on the human understanding of reality. This edition is the translation by Benjamin Jowett.

Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor

a classic, but... the commentary?

very much enjoyed the work itsself as it is a classic and well worth reading, however this version had as much commentary as it had of origional work, and almost all of the commentary was a line by line recital of the work itsself.
"then they talked to plato"
then the actual text later
"plato spoke next"
just kinda silly, might as well drop the commentary and read the origional work twice.
to whoever wrote the commentary: you can do better.

A really great compilation of books

A fantastic group of stories that are really outstanding. I found much relation in the works and I highly recommend this audio book.

Existential questions answered

The apology is the best answer to the meaning of life.

Either death is like one night of sleep, and the best night of sleep you can ever have or offers a pathway to eternity and speaking with those who have died in greatness

absorbing

Would you listen to Symposium, the Apology, and the Allegory of the Cave again? Why?

yes - especially the symposium. takes multiple listens.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

decription of Socrates as a soldier in the SYmposium

What does Jonathan Cowley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The even pacing foregrounds the ideas

Reading/performance speed

I'm glad the reading speed was slow and steady the better to help with audibly digesting the content. I'm also happy that this title is included in the basic audible membership. Thank you!

most of it was great

ancient philosophers talking about love and sleeping with beautiful boys. I guess that was normal back then.
the apology and allegory is where things turned out very good

Excellent

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This audio book thouroughly enhances the scenes created for us by Plato!

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The Symposium was definitely the best. It was quite compelling to hear the dialogue read.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Cowley – was your favorite?

They were all read equally well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh when the discussion of drinking was being performed in the Symposium.

Plato

Wow, I was blowing away by the Apology, and the Allegory of the Cave.A must read for all future Philosopher's

Reader kills it

Good choice of extracts if you want to learn the basics of Plato. It's the Benjamin Jowett translation, which is a bit stodgy but fine, and features lengthy introductions.

Unfortunately the reader kills the text. He's perfectly clear, but he recites everything in the same emotionless monotone. He doesn't give different voices to the characters in the Symposium, so it's hard to tell who's talking. He keeps giving words the wrong intonations, as if he's reading the text for the first time. He pronounces 'rhetoric' wrong (which is annoying because Plato says it a lot). It's very clear that the reader doesn't understand or care about what he's reading - indeed it sounds like he's not even listening to himself speak.

I fought through the whole thing, but I won't be buying any more books by this reader.

Don't

Spent an hour describing the entirety of symposium before giving us the actual thing, thoroughly robbing the experience of any intrigue or enjoyment. But hey, at least I know what I'm supposed to think now.