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This is a refreshing and persuasive book. Crotty (foreign languages, Washington and Lee Univ.) starts by taking Socrates's disavowals of wisdom in the Apology seriously. Socrates's ignorance motivates his virtuous search for wisdom through dialogue. Crotty argues that the irony in Socrates's famous method is not that Socrates already knows the answers; rather ignorance motivates sincere, ongoing dialogue and is itself a source of moral action and wisdom. Crotty takes issue with a scholarly tradition (and with an impressive array of scholars--Gregory Vlastos, Paul Woodruff, Charles Kahn, Julius Moravcsik, among others) that focuses on the objects of knowledge--eternal, immutable Platonic forms. To grasp a form, Crotty suggests, would mean closure, whereas Socratic virtues emerge in process--engaging other thinkers while admitting ignorance and refraining from actions (e.g., politics) about which one can know almost nothing. A sticking point, if there is one, comes in Crotty's fluid comparisons of dialogues from different periods of Plato's presumed theoretical development. Crotty sees an ethical theory across the Phaedo, Meno, and Charmides, and a theory of the relation of perception to knowledge across Theaetetus, Phaedrus, and Republic, for example. But Crotty's wholistic interpretation is lucid, erudite, and challenging.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

Without question, the second edition of this companion (first edition, edited by Kraut only, CH, Jun'93, 30-5514), is a welcome addition to Plato scholarship. It comprises nine new essays, six revised and updated essays, and a new introduction by the editors. The hermeneutical path is clear: contrary to static/fixed views, Plato scholarship continues to grow, change, and illuminate understanding of Plato's intellectual heritage. Platonism, accepted or challenged, persists as the benchmark for the study of philosophy in the Western tradition, as categories of the discipline owe their origin to his ideas. Readers will appreciate the thorough discussions of controversies over influential historical context (the first four essays) intended to situate evolving interpretations of Plato's ideas and to help clarify them. Chapters devoted to diverse topics like mathematics, creativity/arts, and religion are combined with those critically discussing specific dialogues identified with Plato's work (the Meno, Republic, Sophist, Philebus, Timaeus, Phaedo, Hippias Minor). These essays illuminate specific aspects of his work within its coherent overall corpus. Including a historical chronology, a 32-page bibliography, extensive chapter notes, and a general index and index locorum, this volume will be an enduring resource.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.