Plato wrote the dialogues as a kind of learning device, as a tool to help the reader get better at doing philosophy.

柏拉图写下这些对话录,是为了将其作为一种助学方法,作为一种帮助读者,更好的掌握哲学的工具

耶鲁公开课 - 死亡课程节选

The philosophic city is introduced as a metaphor to help us understand the education of the soul.

哲学之城的导入,是要作为一种隐喻,协助我们了解灵魂的教育。

耶鲁公开课 - 政治哲学导论课程节选