Plato
Plato | |
|---|---|
 Roman copy of a portrait bust c. 370 BC | |
| Born | 428/427 or 424/423 BC |
| Died | 348 BC (aged c. 75-76 or 79-80) Athens, Greece |
| Notable work | |
| Era | Ancient Greek philosophy |
| School | Platonic Academy |
| Notable students | Aristotle |
Main interests | Epistemology, Metaphysics Political philosophy |
Notable ideas | Allegory of the cave Cardinal virtues |
Plato (c. 427 – 347 BC) was one of the most important philosophers of all time.[1][2][3] Born to wealthy parents in Athens, Greece,[3] Plato was a student of Socrates[1][3] (who did not write) and, later, became the teacher of Aristotle.[1] Plato started a university in Athens called the Academy where he taught.[3] Plato wrote about many ideas in philosophy that are still talked about today, including political philosophy and the philosophy of language.[1] One modern scholar, Alfred North Whitehead, said that all European philosophy since Plato is a series of footnotes to his works.[4]
Dialogues[change | change source]
Plato wrote his books in the form of conversations called dialogues. In a dialogue, two or more people talk about ideas and sometimes disagree over them. The Laws is Plato's longest dialogue and probably his last.[5]
Socrates is usually the main person in Plato's dialogues. Often, Socrates talks with people and tries to see if they believe anything that is illogical.[6] Because of this, some people become angry with Socrates and try to kill him. In Plato's Apology, Socrates is put on trial by these people and is eventually sentenced to death by drinking poison.[7]
Theory of Forms[change | change source]
Plato is famous for developing the theory of forms. This theory says that everything in our world is imperfect but corresponds to a perfect version of itself that exists in another realm.[2]
For example, there are wooden chairs, metal chairs, square chairs, big chairs, small chairs, etc. All the chairs we can ever sit in, according to Plato, are imperfect versions of the perfect form of “chairness,” the ideal chair. The same is true of every other object our senses can perceive: it is imperfect but corresponds to a perfect version of itself.
One simple way to think about Plato's theory is with numbers. The difference between "chairness" and a regular chair is similar to the difference between the number five and having five apples, oranges, pears, etc.[8]
In other words, Plato thought that the world we live in is just a shadow of the real, "intelligible realm," which only a few people will ever understand. He thought that all perfect forms come from perfection itself, which he called "the good.”[9]
Plato vs. Socrates[change | change source]
People who study Plato argue about whether Socrates really said the same things that Plato makes him say, or whether Plato just used Socrates as a character to make the ideas he was talking about seem more important.[6]
Works by Plato[change | change source]
There are many dialogues that were written by Plato. This list includes those he probably did write:
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Plato | Life, Philosophy, & Works | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kraut, Richard (2022), Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), "Plato", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2022 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 17 March 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Willers, Michael (2021). Mathematics: From Algebra to Algorithms, Adventures in Numbers. London, UK: New Burlington Books. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-1-80242-020-3.
- ↑ "Alfred North Whitehead - Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ↑ Bobonich, Christopher (2010). Plato's Laws: A Critical Guide. Cambridge University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-521-88463-1.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Plato (2005). Early Socratic Dialogues. Great Britain: Penguin Group. pp. 13-36. ISBN 978-0-140-45503-8.
- ↑ "The Project Gutenberg eBook of Apology, by Plato". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ↑ Willers, Michael (2021). Mathematics: From Algebra to Algorithms, Adventures in Numbers. London, UK: New Burlington Books. pp. 42–43, 50–51. ISBN 978-1-80242-020-3.
- ↑ Plato (2004). The Republic. United States of America: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 204–205. ISBN 978-0-87220-736-3.
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