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Most of what we know about Socrates comes from what was written about him by Plato. Socrates is a speaker in most of Plato's dialogues. However, it is widely believed that only some of Plato's dialogues are authentic in the sense that they are actual transcripts of dialogues between Socrates and others. Plato used Socrates as a speaker in his later dialogues, which are believed to be entirely Platonic and were written long after Socrates's death (see also the Trial of Socrates).
The problem which (if any) of Plato's dialogues are truly Socratic and which are Platonic is called the Socratic problem.
Usually, the early dialogues, especially the Apology, are believed to be Socratic, while in the later dialogues Socrates's ideas gradually give way to Plato's own.
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