“Life of Socrates”, an original play arranged by Dawson students and faculty for the Humanities Public Life Conference. The play features scenes from the life of Socrates, the famous ancient Greek philosopher and one of the first great critical thinkers in western civilization. The play opens with a scene from Plato’s dialogue the Phaedrus, in which Socrates laments that people do not sufficiently think for themselves. We will follow with a scene from the Meno, in which Socrates demonstrates that knowledge is available to anyone by showing that an illiterate slave boy can do sophisticated math and geometry. The audience will meet Socrates in the Republic where he does battle with the manipulative marketing techniques of an unscrupulous teacher called Thrasymachus. After this victory, Socrates heads off for a well-deserved drink at a party in the Symposium where he tries to define love with his friends. Socrates ended his life condemned to death at an Athenian court and the play closes with scenes from his trial in the Apology and his last conversations in prison with his friends in the Phaedo.