I thought I understood the Symposium. I had a copy of Allen's commentary and was truly satisfied. Then this one fell into my hands. Sometimes the depth of Rosen's erudition is hard to take, but then which would you prefer 5 watts or 50 watts per channel. Sure, this is probably more than I want to know right now, so I'll read it again later and it will probably be a different book by then. Rosen is no babysitter. This is a very great book, but it is also serious scholarship. If you don't want the brainburn associated with reading someone who comes to conclusions that are often over your head (I speak here from experience) get Allen's book or the Cliff notes and leave this one alone. Moreover, the style is scholarly dry as dust. I like that. If you don't leave this one alone. This is the best, more detailed and probably definite commentary on Plato and Eros (until someone comes out with a commentary on the Symposium and the Phaedrus together that matches this one in depth).

This is a brilliant book-the writing is beautiful, the explanations are clear, and there are startling insights on almost every page. It's a great introductory text, but more advanced scholars shouldn't miss it either-it's a lot of fun and the translations of Plato's text (all by Hecht apparently) are moving and delightful. From what I've seen, Twain's books are pretty much always good, but this one is a real gem.

This is one of the best books by Proclus Diadochus and we are also lucky to have this excellent translation by G.R. Morrow and J.M. Dillon. If anybody is interested in the Neo-Platonic philosophy, or in the ancient philosophy, he should not miss this book. Even if it is rather difficult for a beginner to read long discourses of Proclus on the most important topics of the philosophy, noone should leave this book without careful reading. If you have read the Elements of Theology by Proclus, then you are able to understand everything Proclus is telling us. This book thinks about the most difficult dialogue of Plato - about the Parmenides. In the beginning you are connected with the amazing world of Proclus' allegorical interpretation of Plato's dialogue. Then you can study the world of Ideas as seen by Proclus - you can learn about four problems concerning the Ideas, i.e. whether there are Ideas; what things have Ideas; what is the participation like; and finally where are the Ideas. Proclus shows you all the levels of the realms of the One (Hen) and the Mind (Nous) and you can enjoy also the Proclus' dialectics in the end of the Commentary. The author also tells us a lot of Ideas about the negative theology tells in the last book. The translation is as well of the best value.

Anno does an excellent job of introducing statistical combinations and permutation in a story that is suited to both young and senior students. Anno's color coding clearly shows the difference between permutations and combinations. The visuals are very helpful as supplementary material for intoducing these math concepts or as an aid to struggling students. In the story, Socrates' fat wife wants to be fed, but Socrates is lazy. He sits with his friend Plato and tries to calculate his best move. The pages are filled with pictures of the 3 pigs and the pigs' houses as these two thinkers consider all the possibilities.

After having approached the economic arguments against socialism (and its subordinate -isms like Marx-, Commun-, Naz-, Lenin-, Mao-, etc.) from the perspectives of Adam Smith, Ludwig von Mises, Thomas Sowell, and most especially Friedrich Hayek, it didn't take much to be convinced that Marx was, well, just plain wrong. We have the empirical evidence of something like 80 years of actual practice to point to, to assess, and from which to draw conclusions.

Not until I read Prof. Kreeft's work did I come to comprehend the more important question: *why Marx was wrong*. Socialism was not just hampered by a flawed execution ("everyone" says that Russia should not have been the first nation to try socialism), but fundamentally crippled by a flawed premise. And thereby fated to fail.

I won't give the lesson away - you'll enjoy getting there yourself. I will say, though, that if Marx had been right, our world would be a much more horrifying place than any Matrix-like "Dis-topia" that Hollywood could contrive.

This is a tour-de-force of interpretation, which asks us to rethink the meaning of architecture. McEwen, with grace, simplicity, and style, seeks to disclose another way of knowing "kosmos" than through fixed ideas and concepts. Unraveling the Anaximander fragment, he argues for the "well-made" as a "making visible" of divine order, shedding new light on what "theory" really meant. This book nourishes the soul and reminds us why we should not give up learning how to look carefully. A splendidly "well made" piece of thinking and writing in itself.

This book succeeds in bringing out the very core of Socrates' philosophy and makes a powerful case for its importance for our time. When I first picked up the book, I thought that it was overly ambitious. But I am very impressed by the subtelty and rigor with which it shows how Plato answers Nietzsche and Rorty. Anyone who wishes to know what the philosophes actually know should read it. It may be the best book about Socrates or Plato in the last twenty five years.

This is one of the most valuable and interesting accounts of the early Christian age. Important and detailed original documents, letters, and decrees from the emperors and bishops who attended the great councils of Nicaea, Chalcedon, etc. are accessible here for students and scholars alike in a pristine and comprehensive fashion. Miracles and monks, the inroads of the Goths, the Persian war, the Church's rise to a spiritual and temporal order, the often harmful and sometimes bloody disputes of the Christian factions, and the deeds of bishops, emperors, and saints underline the indispensable worth of this history. However, the magnificence of this work is not fully unscathed: there are a few aspects which confuse the lives of Gregory, Basil, and Athanasius; after the sixth book limited chronological errors are made; and the scope of this work is centered on the East and virtually ignorant of affairs in the West; but these are nearly invisible and are fully corrected by the in-depth commentary provided. It seems that Socrates was the leading man between the two chroniclers...Sozomen apparently borrowed, or rather, stole directly from Socrates; so it is best to start with Socrates' account. In general this work is a follow up of Eusebius' history, and begins with Constantine's conversion, and ends roughly arround the reigns of Theodosius the Great's degenerate sons. An excellent addiditon to the Christian library.

This highly assesable anthology shows through brief essays and
stories what it is in art, life, intellectual thought, and sensous moments, and the passing of everydaylife that makes some things so indispensible and so life giving.Life=Soul, same thing. Read this book like grooving with your favorite CD or being with your man or woman. You'll be the better for it.

Lay readers interested in philosophy will find Rene Greenwood's Teaching Socrates To Dance an intriguing blend of science, philosophy, and linguistics. Elements of time recognition and artistic pursuits are embraced by Grenwood, who challenges Chomsky's grammar set and replaces it with a new 'transactive grammar' based on language and music. College-level linguistics students, in particular, will relish the ideas.