About this ebook
Laches is a Platonic dialogue from the early 4th century BC that examines the nature of courage and its role in educating the young. Lysimachus and Melesias seek advice from generals Nicias and Laches on whether training in fighting with armor is worthwhile. Laches views courage as simply enduring hardships without retreat, while Nicias argues it must be tied to knowledge of fear and moral understanding. Socrates guides the discussion, exposing the inadequacy of their definitions and urging them to recognize their ignorance and pursue deeper learning. The dialogue ultimately highlights that true virtue, including courage, rests upon wisdom and the right understanding of good and evil.
About the author
Plato was born around 428 BCE in Athens and became a disciple of Socrates, deepening philosophical thought with his central idea of Forms, which sought truth beyond the sensory world. He founded the Academy, the first higher learning institution in the West, where philosophy, mathematics, and politics were taught, laying the foundation of Western intellectual tradition. In works such as The Republic and The Symposium, he explored justice, the soul, love, and the ideal state, profoundly shaping political philosophy and ethics. His influence extended to later thinkers like Aristotle, forming the roots of Western philosophy. He died around 348 BCE, yet his ideas continue to live on across philosophy and the humanities.
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