Terry Penner is Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, and was, for a time, Affiliate Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In Spring 2005 he was A. G. Leventis Visiting Research Professor of Greek in the University of Edinburgh. His previous publications include The Ascent from Nominalism: Some Existence Arguments in Plato's Middle Dialogues(1986) and numerous articles on Socrates.

Preface; Part I. An Analysis of the Lysis: 1. 203AI-207B7: the cast assembles and the main conversation is set up; 2. 207B8-210D8 (Socrates and Lysis): do Lysis' parents really love him?; 3. 210EI-213C9: Socrates and Menexenus - how does one get a friend?; 4. 213DI-216B9: Socrates and Lysis again, then Menexenus - poets and cosmologists on what is friend of what (like of like: or opposite of opposite?); 5. 216CI-221D6: what it is that loves, what it really loves and why; 6. 221D6-222B2: the main argument reaches its conclusion; 7. 222B3-E7: some further questions from Socrates about the argument, leading to (apparent) impasse; 8. 223AI-B8: the dialogue ends - people will say that Socrates and the boys think they are friends, but they haven't been able to discover what 'the friend' is; 9. 203AI-207B7 revisited; Part II. The Theory of the Lysis: 10. A rereading of the Lysis: some preliminaries; 11. A rereading of the Lysis; 12. On seeking the good of others independently of one's own good; and other unfinished business; Epilogue; Translation of the Lysis; Bibliography; Indexes.