Plato and Platonism vs Μένων: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Plato, Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy
Plato and Platonism
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Plato’s ideas have had an enduring and important impact on philosophy, science, and all people, from the ancient kings to modern day man and to all people in between. He passionately touches on the topics of love,…
Μένων
“Most of Plato's works start with an introductory scene, often of considerable length, giving details about the characters involved in the dialogue, as well as its physical and historical setting.”
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Text and essays edited by Malcom Brown: St. Augustine / From On the teacher; G.W. Leibniz / From Discourse on metaphysics; Friedrich Nietzsche / From Introduction to the study of the Platonic dialogues; F.M. Cornford /…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Μένων is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for Plato and Platonism.
- Plato and Platonism has the widest readership — 71 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Plato and Platonism | Μένων | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (71) | — |
Reception
| Plato and Platonism | Μένων | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 71 | 8 |
| Editions | 97 | 150 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 315 | — |
| Reading it now | 56 | — |
| Written reviews | 3 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 102374 | — |
| Pages | 276 | 108 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Plato and Platonism or Μένων?
Plato and Platonism has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Plato and Platonism 3.9/5, Μένων 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Plato and Platonism or Μένων?
Μένων is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Μένων (108 pages, ≈ 2 h 00 m); Plato and Platonism (276 pages, ≈ 5 h 07 m).
Which is harder to read: Plato and Platonism or Μένων?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Plato and Platonism: Demanding; Μένων: Demanding.