Spuria:
Plato is known to have written many letters and dialogues during his lifetime. All in all, the total number of letters and epigrams Plato wrote amounted to 13 and 18 respectively. These works are together called the spuria and the dubia. The collection of the Platonic spuria was done when the other important Platonic texts were found. But they were immediately declared to be frauds in every aspect including their antiquity.

A total of 10 spuria have been mentioned by Diogenes in his dialogue. Five of those no longer exist; the Midon, Chelidon, Phaeacians Epimenides and Seventh Day. The remaining five that are still existent are Axiochus, Eryxias, Demodocus, Sisyphus and Halcyon. To these ten spuria mentioned by Diogenes, we can probably add three more works that were included in the medieval works of Plato but not, in any way, mentioned in antiquity. There are many other works of Plato that still exist, but their authenticity is still doubted by contemporary scholars. However, there are some that still maintain that those works were truly authentic.

Dubia:  
The dubia present a lot of risks to the scholars who study Platonic works and writings. This happens because; any idea of not including them in the list of authentic works cannot be contemplated because there is a threat of losing all the valuable evidence for the philosophical statements made by Plato and Socrates. However, they can’t be directly included as they create another risk of masking Plato’s and Socrates’ correct view in those philosophical statements. Scholars believe that the dubia also contain a lot of non-Socratic and non-Platonic elements within them.

The dubia consist of the First Alcibiades, Theages and Minos. All of these works, if they were authentic, would mostly go with the transitional groups. Few scholars suggest that the well-known Platonic work, the Third, is also possibly genuine. Almost all the dialogues written by Plato are bow accepted to be genuine. However, over the years, some or the other scholar has definitely doubted their authenticity. Particularly in the 19th century, numerous scholars have held debates and have discussed points for and against the authenticity of these works. The outcomes of those debates have now resulted in the universal acceptance of the authenticity of those Platonic works.

Description: The spuria and the dubia have long since been the most baffling content in all of Plato’s works. There have been many debates and discussions to determine their authenticity.