Book excerpt: This is a modern, annotated translation of antiquity's only extant commentary on Plato's moral and political dialogue "Gorgias," in which the author defends ancient Greek philosophy and culture at a time when Christianity has almost replaced it. The first translation into any modern language of a central work in Platonic studies is accompanied by annotations which guide the reader in understanding the obscurities of the text, an introduction to the main issues raised by it, and a bibliography of the modern literature.