This Symposium took place at Trinity College, University of Toronto, August 19-23, 1998. It had as its subject the Charmides, the Lysis and the Euthydemus.

Selected papers from the Fifth Symposium will be published in due course as a volume of the International Plato Studies.

Main decisions made at the General Assembly, held in Toronto during the Symposium :

  • The financial statement presented by the President, T. M. Robinson, has been approved.
  • It has been likewise confirmed the proposal to hold the Sixth Symposium in Jerusalem in 2001, and Professor Samuel Scolnicov (Univ. of Jerusalem) has been appointed President of the IPS for the triennium 1998-2001 and thereby organizer of the said Symposium. The next Symposium Platonicum will be on the Laws.
  • Professors Christopher Gill (Exeter), Lloyd Gerson (Toronto) and Nicole Ooms (México) were elected to the Executive Committee, replacing, respectively, Professors Giuseppe Cambiano (Torino), G. R. F. Ferrari (Berkeley) and Ute Schmidt-Oszmanczik (México), as the second European, the North-American and the Latin-American representatives. Professors Matthias Baltes (Münster) and Harold Tarrant (Newcastle, NSW) continue to serve as members of the Committee, as do Professors Thomas Robinson (past President) and Abraham Bos (C. J. De Vogel Foundation). Professor Luc Brisson (Paris) has been asked to continue to serve the Society as its Vice-President.
  • Professor Abraham Bos announced that the Cornelia J. De Vogel Foundation has decided to continue its support for the IPS during the next triennium, and the General Assembly passed a vote of sincere appreciation for the interest demonstrated towards the Society.
  • As to the Seventh Symposium (scheduled to take place in 2004), since no candidacy has been brought to the assembly, it has been decided to put the matter to a postal vote to be given as soon as possible.
  • The General Assembly has decided to raise the triennial membership fee from US $60 to US $75 (the fees for Associate membership, open to doctoral students, remain at US $30) and created the category of Institutional Membership open, i.a., to Local Plato Societies. The Plato Societies of Caracas, St. Petersburg and Campinas, Brazil, were approved as institutional members.
  • As to the Editorial Board of the International Plato Studies it has been decided that it shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for a period of nine years, with the possibility of further appointment. Changes in the membership of the Editorial Committee will be made gradually, so as to ensure maximum continuity in its work. For the triennium 1998-2001 the Editorial Board will continue to consist of Professors Brisson, Calvo Martínez, Rossetti, Rowe, and Szlezák.