Introducing Plato
The Greek philosopher
Plato
is a student of Socrates
and teacher of Aristotle
He wrote on a wide variety of topics
including
politics
aesthetics
cosmology
and epistemology
to this day
we refer to platonic love
and platonic ideals
Plato's search for knowledge and truth
form the basis of much of western philosophy
Plato's birth date is disputed
some sources say around 428 BC
others claim 424 BC
in any case it was a fortunate birth
Plato's parents were both descended from Athenian nobility
like other children from distinguished families in Athens
Plato received the best education of the day
studying philosophy
poetry
and gymnastics
Plato grew up during the Peloponnesian War
and as a young man
saw the political chaos
surrounding the final defeat of Athens by Sparta
Two of Plato's relatives came to power in the new government
who were known
as the 30 Tyrants
And were notorious for denying Athenians their rights
The group ruled briefly
until this despise Oligarchy was overthrown
and Athens returned to democracy
in 403 BC
You might expect in Plato's prominent family connections
that he was destined to be a politician
Plato's life took a different path
however
when he met the great teacher
Socrates
and was inspired by his philosophy
of the pursuit of knowledge and virtue
It's ironic
considering that
Socrates
was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens
including Plato
Socrates was unpopular with the 30 Tyrants
as well as with the leaders of the newly restored democracy
In a grave miscarriage of justice
Socrates was found guilty of the trumped-up offenses and was sentenced to death
Plato tried to prevent his execution
offering to pay a fine to spare Socrates life
However
Socrates willingly went to his death
Plato was forever afterwards disgusted by politics
and dedicated his life to the study of philosophy
like his teacher
Although Plato was famously taught by Socrates
He was also influenced by Pythagoras and others
After Socrates death
Plato left Athens
and traveled for a dozen years
Studying various subjects
including Mathematics
with the Pythagoreans in Italy
and Geometry in Astronomy in Egypt
During these travels
Plato wrote his early dialogues
which featured Socrates and his teachings
Since Socrates did not write any books of his own
these dialogues represent one of the very few pictures of the legendary philosopher
and his style of discourse
Returning to Athens
Plato founded the academy
around 387 BC
The academy is thought to be the first western institution of higher learning
Here
one could attend open air lectures
in Astronomy
Biology
Mathematics
Politics
and Philosophy
The Socratic Method was commonly used as a form of
rational discussion
Whereby a given hypothesis is examined by questioning
if these questions lead logically to a contradiction
A new candidate for truth must be adopted
generations were educated at the academy
until it was destroyed
in 86 BC
when Athens was conquered by the Romans during the
First Mithridatic War
The academy was revived in the early 5th century by
Neoplatonists
Who saw themselves as successors to Plato
in 529
Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium
closed the academy once and for all
he saw it as a threat to Christianity
While Plato taught at the academy
he continued to write
he amassed 35 dialogues
and 13 letters
known as
Epistles
Though the authenticity of some of these works has been called into question
Although he was reluctant to write about himself
several of Plato's family members appear in these works
Most historians consider this
a sign of Plato's pride in his distinguished family
The order in which Plato's works were written is not known for certain
although some rough grouping is traditionally done by historians as follows
The earliest dialogues including
the Apology
and Crito
presented the teachings of Socrates
Later dialogues such as
the Republic
and the Symposium
introduced Plato's theory of forms
and the relationship between
the soul
the state
and the cosmos
Finally
his most mature works
are grouped together because they are considered
stylistically similar
These include
the Laws
and timelines
and address such topics
as Law
Mathematics
and Natural Science
The theory of forms
is at the heart of Platonism
In Plato's view
reality is unavailable to those who completely rely on their senses
He explained that every object that we could see
or interact with in our experience of reality
was actually just a mimic of a form
capital F
For instance
we recognize a brick when we see it
even though every brick is a little bit different
because they are all reflections of some essential true brick
That is the real ideal brick
Plato argued that these forms
and other abstract ideas
were more real
than those things we could see
and hear
and touch
Universal
such as
justice
beauty
and equality
are not accessible to the senses
But are understood only through reason
Plato's view of the condition of humankind
is perhaps best captured
in his allegory of the cave
as written
in the republic
The words of this parable
are spoken by Socrates
and Plato's brother
Glaucon
but it is considered to be Plato's own
Ideology
Socrates describes the Glaucon
a group of prisoners
chained for their entire lives in a cave
Shackled in such a way that they can only look in front of them at one of the walls of the cave
Behind them is a fire burning brightly
In between the fire and the prisoners
is a platform
where objects are exhibited
the prisoners cannot see the reality of these objects
only the shadows they cast on the wall of the cave
If we rely solely on our senses
We are like the prisoners in the cave
who cannot sense the reality behind them
Only the poor copies of the real world projected before them
The real world of ideals
can only be perceived by reason
Hence
the vital importance of the academy
Plato spent his last years
writing and teaching at the academy
Undoubtedly
we cannot know all of what Plato thought
especially
since he preferred
speaking
to writing
as a means of transmitting knowledge
According to the writings of his students
Plato had a set of unwritten doctrines
which were taught only orally
Plato's most famous student
Aristotle
came to study at the academy
in 367 BC
and remained there for the next 20 years
He would go on to found his own academy
called the Lyceum
where he would carry on the great tradition of Plato and Socrates
Plato died around 348 BC
and is believed to be buried on the grounds of the academy
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