Who Was Plato?:
Plato was one of the most famous philosophers of all time. A type of love (Platonic) is named for him. We know about the famous philosopher Socrates through Plato's dialogues. Plato also wrote a parable about Atlantis. He founded an institution of learning known as the Academy.Plato's theory of social structure was tripartite -- with a governing class, warriors, and workers -- as was his parallel theory of the tripartite human soul, containing reason, spirit, and appetite.
The Name Plato:
Plato was originally named Aristocles, but one of his teachers called him Plato, either because of the breadth of his shoulders or his speech.The Birth of Plato:
Plato was born around May 21 in 428 or 427 B.C. He was related to Solon and could trace his ancestry to the last legendary king of Athens, Codrus.Plato and Socrates:
Plato was a student and follower of Socrates until 399, when the condemned Socrates died after drinking the prescribed cup of hemlock. It is through Plato that we are most familiar with Socrates' philosophy because Plato wrote dialogues in which his teacher took part, usually asking leading questions -- the Socratic method. Plato's Apology is Plato's version of the death of Socrates.The Legacy of Plato's Academy:
When Plato died, in 347 B.C., leadership of the Academy passed not to Aristotle who had been a student and then teacher there for 20 years, and who expected to follow, but to Plato's nephew Speusippus. The Academy continued for several more centuries.Plato and Eroticism:
Plato's Symposium contains ideas on love held by various philosophers and other Athenians. It entertains many points of view, including the idea that people were originally doubled -- some with the same gender and others with the opposite, and that, once cut, they spend their lives looking for their other part. This idea "explains" sexual preferences.Plato and Atlantis:
The mythical place known as Atlantis appears as part of a parable in a fragment of Plato's late dialogue Critias.Tradition of Plato:
In the Middle Ages, Plato was known mostly through Latin translations of Arabic translations and commentaries. In the Renaissance, when Greek became more familiar, far more scholars studied Plato. Since then, he has had an impact on math and science, morals, and political theory.Plato and the Philosopher King:
Instead of following a political path, Plato thought it more important to educate would-be statesmen. For this reason, he set up a school for future leaders. Plato's school was called the Academy, named for the park in which it was located. Plato's Republic contains a treatise on education.Plato is considered by many to be the most important philosopher who ever lived. He is known as the father of idealism in philosophy. Plato's ideas were elitist, with the philosopher king the ideal ruler.
Plato is perhaps best known to college students for his parable of a cave, which appears in Plato's Republic.
