Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher from Classical Athens. He was born around 428–423 BC and died in 348/347 BC. He is one of the most important thinkers in Western philosophy.

Plato wrote about ideas in special conversations called dialogues. He used a method of discussion known as dialectic.

One famous idea from Plato is called the Theory of Forms. This idea tries to explain how different things can share the same basic idea. Plato learned from Socrates and later taught Aristotle, who were also important philosophers.

Plato's writings have been studied for over 2,400 years. Through a movement called Neoplatonism, Plato's ideas influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic philosophies. Many people think European philosophy builds on Plato's work.

Life

Plato was born between 428 and 423 BC in Athens. His mother, Perictione, was related to Solon, a leader who helped create Athenian democracy. Plato had two brothers, Glaucon and Adeimantus, and a sister named Potone.

When Plato was a boy, Athens fought in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta. Even during the war, Plato learned gymnastics and music. Plato liked writing poems and plays, but he stopped after meeting Socrates. Socrates taught by asking many questions, a method called the Socratic method. Plato wrote stories about Socrates talking with others.

Later, a group called the Thirty Tyrants took control of Athens. This made Plato decide not to get involved in politics. After Socrates died, Plato studied with other thinkers and traveled. He learned about numbers and shapes in places like Italy.

Plato returned to Athens and started his own school called the Academy around 383 BC. He taught and wrote there for many years. Plato died in 348 or 347 BC and was buried in the garden of the Academy.

Philosophy

Plato wrote many conversations where Socrates talked with others about big ideas. They talked about what is real, what is true, and what makes something good or beautiful. Plato believed there are two kinds of things: what we can see and touch, which changes, and what we cannot see but understand with our minds, which never changes. These unchanging ideas are called "Forms."

Plato thought the soul gives life to a person. He believed the soul is immortal and that we can remember things from before we were born. In his stories, Socrates often talks about the afterlife and how the soul has different parts.

Plato also talked about knowledge. He believed real knowledge comes from understanding these unchanging Forms, not just from what we see or hear. He thought that to know something truly, we must understand its Form.

Several talks by Socrates explore what is right and wrong, good and bad. Socrates asked if something is loved by the gods because it is good, or is it good because the gods love it? Plato believed that doing what is good comes from knowing what is good, and that wisdom is very important.

The talks also cover how societies should be run. Socrates thought that societies, like people, have three parts: workers, protectors, and rulers. He believed that when rulers are wise and love learning, the society is best.

Plato also talked about art and stories. He thought that poetry and stories are powerful ways to share ideas, even though they are not always logical. He used many stories himself to explain deep philosophical ideas.

Works

Plato wrote many discussions called dialogues. In these talks, people discuss big ideas. A man named Socrates often helps others think more deeply. Some of these discussions have no one telling the story. Others are told by Socrates or his friends.

Plato's writings were rediscovered in Europe long ago. Many old copies of his work have been found. Scholars today think that not all writings known as Plato's were actually written by him. His works are usually split into three groups: early, middle, and late dialogues. The middle dialogues include some of Plato's most famous ideas.

See also: List of speakers in Plato's dialogues

See also: List of manuscripts of Plato's dialogues

Further information: Pseudo-Platonica

The following works were transmitted under Plato's name in antiquity, but were considered untrue by the 1st century AD: Axiochus, Definitions, Demodocus, Epigrams, Eryxias, Halcyon, On Justice, On Virtue, Sisyphus.

The modern standard complete English edition is the 1997 Hackett Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper.

No one knows the exact order Plato's dialogues were written in. The works are usually grouped into Early, Middle, and Late period. The following represents one common division amongst scholars.

• Early: Apology, Charmides, Crito, Euthyphro, Gorgias, Hippias Minor, Hippias Major, Ion, Laches, Lysis, Protagoras
• Middle: Cratylus, Euthydemus, Meno, Parmenides, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Republic, Symposium, Theatetus
• Late: Critias, Sophist, Statesman, Timaeus, Philebus, Laws.

Thirty-five dialogues and thirteen letters (the Epistles) have traditionally been ascribed to Plato, though modern scholarship doubts the authenticity of at least some of these.

Legacy

Medieval era

During a time called the Islamic Golden Age, a philosophy named Neoplatonism was brought back to life. It began with a thinker named Plotinus and was later shaped by philosophers like Al-Farabi and Avicenna. This philosophy linked Plato's ideas with Islamic thought, helping people understand both old wisdom and religious beliefs. Inspired by Plato, Al-Farabi imagined a perfect city led by wise rulers, called philosopher-kings. Plato's work was also talked about by the Jewish philosopher Maimonides in his book Guide for the Perplexed.

Many writings about Plato were translated from Arabic into Latin, affecting thinkers in Europe. During the Middle Ages, Aristotle's ideas were more well-known than Plato's. The only work by Plato known in Western Europe was Timaeus, until more of his writings were translated in the 12th century. But Plato’s ideas continued in places like the Byzantine Empire, the Caliphates during the Islamic Golden Age, and Spain during the Golden age of Jewish culture.

Modern

During the Renaissance, a scholar named Gemistos Plethon brought Plato's original writings to Florence from Constantinople. Many artists and scientists saw Plato’s ideas as a way to make new discoveries. In the 17th century, some thinkers called the Cambridge Platonists tried to mix Plato’s ideas with Christian beliefs. By the 19th century, Plato’s reputation became stronger. His ideas have been very important in subjects like mathematics and science. Famous scientists like Albert Einstein admired Plato’s way of thinking. The British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said that much of European philosophy can be seen as a series of footnotes to Plato’s work. Ideas from Plato’s dialogue Theaetetus helped another philosopher, Edmund Gettier, question older ideas about knowledge.