... but his Just government, and of democracy in particular, can perhaps be explained by these biographical details. There is no question that Socrates was an enormously important intellectual influence on Plato's work. The essential difference between Plato and Socrates is in scope--Socrates arguments were limited to a discussion of ethics--whereas Plato's work includes epistemology, metaphysics, political ... divided into three segments: early, middle, and late. In the early dialogues, also called the Socratic dialogues, Socrates and his elenchus still play a defining role in the philoso...

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• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate