Euthydemus

Euthydemus is Plato's defense of Socratic dialogue as a means to pursue truth.In Euthydemus Plato has Socrates engage in a conversation with the title character and his brother Dionysodorus both famous Sophists. They are representative of a type of argument which Plato calls 'eristic' that emphasizes verbal trickery in order to humiliate your opponent and win your debate. This is contrasted with Socrates' dialectic where words are a means of discerning reality not gaining victory. In the process Plato makes a case for the Socratic method as a means of educating youth something he was attempting to do in his own newly-opened Academy.Presented in Plato's usual dramatic style Euthydemus is simultaneously an engaging read and a passionate pedagogical manifesto.