Plato - A Beginner's Guide introduces you to the life and work of one of the founding fathers of philosophy, and best known of the thinkers of Ancient Greece. Use this introductory guide to help you unravel his philosophy and explore his works. Roy Jackson's fascinating introduction: summarises Plato's writings dividing them into early, middle and late period. explores how Plato was influenced by the political and cultural climate of his time and by those philosophers who went before him. shows how his philosophy is a combination of the teachings of Socrates and such thinkers as Pythagorus. puts Plato in philosophical and historical context. the facts...the concepts...the ideas...