Plato is philosophy—and the best introduction to Plato is First Alcibiades. In antiquity, it was the first dialogue that students of Plato would read, because it “contains the whole philosophy of Plato, as in a seed.” It tells the transformative story of a young, spirited Alcibiades being invited to the philosophic life by Socrates. First Alcibiades is a beautiful dialogue. Enjoy.
Here is everything you receive in the guide:
A 16-page guide (8700+ words) that helps explore the dialogue in a rich way
An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick
Introductions to both the dialogue and the historical character of Alcibiades
Five (5) preliminary questions introducing Socrates and Plato
Preliminary reading questions to help you or your small group see key themes
A very detailed outline of the entire dialogue
16 robust questions on the text
If you want to understand First Alcibiades, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better introduction than this guide.
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Introductory Letter by Dcn. Garlick
In First Alcibiades “all the Platonic questions are raised as if for the first time.”
Al-Farabi
Dear Members of the Ascend Book Club,
Plato is philosophy—and the best introduction to Plato is First Alcibiades. In antiquity, it was the first dialogue that students of Plato would read, because it “contains the whole philosophy of Plato, as in a seed.” It tells the transformative story of a young, spirited Alcibiades being invited to the philosophic life by Socrates. Plato understood the teacher to be a mirror of the soul, and that education involved tutoring a man’s erotic appetites into loving what was truly beautiful. There is arguably no better work on being a teacher.
Below is the full guide available to download. A tremendous resource!
