OF PLATO

...midwife-like wisdom The "maieutic" or midwife method refers to Socrates' way of drawing out knowledge from a student as if delivering a baby.; and next Charmides, or On Temperance, a probing work. Laches, or On Courage, midwife-like. Lysis, or On Friendship, midwife-like. The leader of the sixth tetralogy is Euthydemus, or The Contentious, a subversive work. Then Protagoras, or The Sophists, a demonstrative work. Gorgias, or On Rhetoric, subversive. Menon, or On Virtue, probing. Over the seventh are placed the two Hippias dialogues: the first On the Beautiful, the second On Falsehood, both subversive. Ion, or On the Iliad, original: "πειραστικός" (peirastikos) probing. Menexenus, or The Funeral Oration, moral. In the eighth, Clitophon, or The Exhortative, first claims its place as moral. The Republic, or On Justice, political. Timaeus, or On Nature, physical. Critias, or The Atlantic, moral. The ninth is presided over by Minos, or On Law, political. The Laws, or On Legislation, political. Epinomis, or The Philosopher, political. Thirteen Letters, moral, at the head of which he would write "to do well" original: "εὖ πράττειν" (eu prattein), whereas Epicurus used "to live well" original: "εὖ διάγειν" (eu diagein), and Cleon "to rejoice." Of these letters, one is to Aristodemus, two to Archytas, four to Dionysius, one to Hermias, Erastus, and Coriscus, one to Leodamas, one to Dion, one to Perdiccas, and two to the relatives of Dion. Such is the division of these books according to Thrasyllus Thrasyllus was a 1st-century scholar and astrologer who organized Plato's works into the nine groups of four we still use today., which most people follow. But others, including Aristophanes the Grammarian, distribute his dialogues into trilogies. They place the first under the Republic, Timaeus, and Critias. The second under the Sophist, Statesman, and Cratylus. In the third, they place the Laws, Minos, and Epinomis. In the fourth, Theaetetus, Euthyphro, and the Apology. In the fifth, Crito, Phaedo, and the Letters. The others they place individually and without order. Some begin, as we said before, from the Republic, others from the Greater Alcibiades, many from Theages, some from Euthyphro, others from Clitophon, some from Timaeus, and others from Phaedrus. There are also those who begin from Theaetetus, and many make the Apology the beginning. Of those dialogues inscribed with Plato’s name, these are indisputably spurious Meaning they are generally agreed to be "fake" or written by someone else pretending to be Plato.: Midon or The Horse-Breeder, Eryxias or Erasistratus, Alcyon, The Headless One or Sisyphus, Axiochus, Phaeacians, Demodocus, The Swallow, The Seventh, and Epimenides. Of these, Alcyon is said to belong to a certain Leon, as Favorinus relates in the fifth book of his Commentaries. Indeed, he uses various names so that his works may not be easily understood by the unskilled. Strictly speaking, he considers wisdom to be the science of those things perceived by the intellect and which truly exist, which he says concerns God and the soul separated from the body. Specifically, he calls wisdom and philosophy a certain appetite and desire for divine wisdom. Commonly, however, wisdom is used by him to mean all skill, as when, for example, he calls a craftsman "wise." He also often uses the same names to signify different things. For "simple" original: "φαῦλος" (phaulos); usually meaning "cheap" or "bad," but used here for "uncomplicated." is used by him for the humble, just as in Euripides' Licymnius regarding Hercules in this manner:

Simple, unadorned, and in the highest things good,
Measuring all wisdom by deeds,
Not a man of clever talk.

Plato sometimes uses it for the beautiful and honorable, and sometimes for the small. Often, however, he uses different names for the same meaning. For he calls an Idea a form, a genus, a pattern, a beginning, and a cause. He also uses contrary terms to signify the same thing. For he calls a sensible thing both "being" and "non-being": "being" because of its coming into existence, but "non-being" because of its constant change. Likewise, he calls the Idea that which neither moves nor stays, and the same, and the one, and the many.

On Philosophy, midwife-like; Charmides, or On Temperance, probing; Laches, or On Courage, midwife-like; Lysis, or On Friendship, midwife-like. The sixth is led by Euthydemus, or The Contentious, subversive; Protagoras, or The Sophists, demonstrative; Gorgias, or On Rhetoric, subversive; Meno, or On Virtue, probing. The seventh is led by the two Hippias dialogues: the first On the Beautiful; the second On Falsehood, subversive. Ion, or On the Iliad, probing; Menexenus, or The Funeral Oration, moral. The eighth is led by Clitophon, or The Exhortative, moral; Republic, or On Justice, political; Timaeus, or On Nature, physical; Critias, or The Atlantic, moral. The ninth is led by Minos, or On Law, political; Laws, or On Legislation, political; Epinomis, or The Nocturnal Gathering, or The Philosopher, political; thirteen Letters, moral (in which he wrote "To do well," while Epicurus wrote "To live well" and Cleon "Rejoice"): one to Aristodemus; two to Archytas; four to Dionysius; one to Hermias, Erastus, and Coriscus; one to Leodamas; one to Dion; one to Perdiccas; two to the relatives of Dion. And this is the division according to Thrasyllus; but some (among whom is Aristophanes the Grammarian) pull the dialogues into trilogies. They place as the first: Republic, Timaeus, Critias; second: Sophist, Statesman, Cratylus; third: Laws, Minos, Epinomis; fourth: Theaetetus, Euthyphro, Apology; fifth: Crito, Phaedo, Letters. The others they list one by one and without order. They begin, some (as said before) from the Republic; others from the Greater Alcibiades; others from Theages; some from Euthyphro; others from Clitophon; some from Timaeus; others from Phaedrus; others from Theaetetus. Many make the Apology the beginning. The following dialogues are admittedly spurious: Midon or The Horse-Breeder, Eryxias or Erasistratus, Alcyon, The Headless One or Sisyphus, Axiochus, Phaeacians, Demodocus, The Swallow, The Seventh, Epimenides. Of these, Alcyon seems to be by a certain Leon, as Favorinus says in the fifth of his Commentaries. He uses varied names so that his writings are not easily seen by the ignorant. Most uniquely, he considers wisdom the knowledge of the intelligible and the truly existing, which he says concerns God and the soul separate from the body. In a particular sense, he calls philosophy "wisdom," being a desire for divine wisdom. But commonly, even all experience is called wisdom by him; for instance, when he calls a craftsman "wise." He also uses the same names for different meanings. For "simple" original: "φαῦλος" (phaulos) is said by him even of the plain man, as it is also carried in Euripides' Licymnius speaking of Hercules: "Simple, unadorned, in the greatest things good, cutting away all wisdom in action, a stranger to talkative chatter." Plato sometimes uses this word for the beautiful; and sometimes for the small. Frequently he uses different names for the same meaning. For he calls the Idea both form and genus and pattern and beginning and cause. He also uses contrary sounds for the same thing. For the sensible, he calls both "being" and "non-being": "being" because it is becoming, but "non-being" because of its continual change. And the Idea he calls neither moving nor staying; and the same, and the one, and the many.