I’m currently making my way through The Immortal Books by 200 different authors. I expect the project to take 15 years. I’m currently in year 3 and Plato is author 18 out of 200. I had initially planned to read 9 of his works (Apology, The Republic, Laches, Symposium, Philebus, Crito, Phaedo, Theatetus, Meno), but when people on Twitter suggested I pick up this version of his complete works, I began to consider reading Plato’s entire corpus.
Why not? Plato has an outsize influence on what comes after him. His ideas are ingrained in our heads. We see some things through his eyes. I’m largely approaching Plato blindly. I read The Republic in 2017 and remember next to nothing. I’ve avoided philosophy out of a deep fear of not understanding it. I’d like to change that. I’d like to dig into Plato, get to know his writings, ponder his ideas, and explore his works.
I recorded this podcast episode as a time stamp of sorts. I want to see if there is something that happens to a person after they read Plato. Will there be a “before Plato Erik” and an “after Plato Erik?” We’ll see. I hope you follow along on this journey. I plan to cover most of Plato’s works on this podcast over the coming weeks and months. And I’ll see if I can finish this large tome by the end of 2025.