SYNOPSIS
Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher and writer who lived (c. 428 BCE–c. 348 BCE).
Plato’s biography: This ancient Greek philosopher was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. His writings explored justice, beauty, and equality, and also contained discussions in aesthetics, political philosophy, theology, cosmology, epistemology and the philosophy of language. Plato founded the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the western world. He died in Athens circa 348. B.C.E.
Plato’s Main views
1 There is a distinction between changeless eternal forms and changeable observable ordinary objects.
2 Justice is welcomed for its’ own sake.
3 The soul is immortal.
4 Philosophers should be kings and kings should be philosophers.
5 All of the forms exist outside of the realm of regular perception, in the `realm of the forms’.
6 Mathematics is one of the only forms of true knowledge.
Influencers and Influences
Firstly, we know that Socrates influenced Plato. His activities according to Britannica “…provided the starting point of Plato’s philosophizing…”(Britannica). The other two pre-Socratic philosophers who influenced Plato were Heraclitus and Parmenides.
Secondly, Plato was the teacher of and thus influenced Aristotle. Plato also had a major influence on western civilization. Many consider him the father of western philosophy.
Writings
Plato was a metaphysical philosopher who debated the existence of two worlds. Plato’s immense contribution to philosophy includes the following writings: Apology, Charmydes, Cratylus, Critias, Crito, Euthydemus, Euthyphro, Gorgias, Ion, Laches (Courage), Laws, Lysis (Friendship), Meno, Parmenides, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Philebus, Protagoras, The Seventh Letter, Sophist, Statesman, Symposium, Theaetetus, Timaeus. (mit.edu)
His masterpiece and the most famed philosophical treatise are The Republic. (Ten books)
Read my novella and view the illustrations in my book. Buy the first limited edition of “Plato’s Visual Utopia”
Related Posts
Also, read the related Blog posts as follows: Plato’s Academia, Plato and Justice, Plato’s Duality, Plato’s Imitation Theory, The Republic Lead subjects, Plato’s Regimes, Art as Imitation, Duality in Plato’s Republic, Plato and Art, Dystopia Connotations, Utopia Connotations, What is Utopia, Plato’s Republic, Plato’s Visual Utopia book
Featured image photo of Plato’s sculpture by Daniel Heller
