Plato: A Potent Philosopher - A Look into the Life of the (First) Popular Philosopher

1. Influence

Plato was one of the most influential philosophers of the ancient world and history. He was both influential by himself, but was further popularized to the public by being the primary writer of the thoughts of Socrates, as Plato’s mentor had written nothing for himself. (Hattingth 2015). Both philosophers believed in a dual reality (that all physical objects resembled a perfect one in another sphere.) He believed that the objects in this particular sphere were more perfect than the ones we see, touch, and corrupt. Primary among these “Forms” were goodness, beauty, and equality (Kraut, 2022). Existing solely in this rational and mental world, he believed that these were true “realities.”

Nevertheless, Plato did not exist solely in this “abstract” realm. As the well-known blog, Brain Food, has noted, “Plato spent a lot of time thinking about how the government and society should ideally be. He was the world’s first utopian thinker.” Plato not only invented a new system of thought but also put it into practical existence.

Additionally, he put his thoughts into teaching. He founded “The Academy” in Classical Athens in 387 B.C. From what we can tell, the school taught “mathematics, dialectics, natural science, and preparation for statesmanship” (Britannica, 1998). In an educational feat for the ages, it lasted over 800 years until Emperor Justinian closed it in 529 A.D, along with many other pagan schools. Amazingly, his school is now known as the world’s first university (Kampouris). Even more surprising, its members paid no fees while Plato was alive, and furthermore, although it was destroyed by General Sulla in 86 B.C, it was eventually resurrected and reopened.

Other feats of Plato included a study of mathematics, an expression of solid dialectic and anecdotes, and his political theories – one of which was the division of labor, which was not accepted for another 1500 years!

2. Profile

Plato was born in 428 B.C and lived for 80 years. He grew up in the golden age of Greece and had a well-acclaimed family on both sides. “Plato” may have been a nickname due to his broad shoulders and muscular figure. (Biography 2015). He was likely taught under some of the finest tutelages of the day, particularly under figures like Cratylus, Parmenides, and even Pythagoras. Regardless, his plan in early adulthood was to be a playwright…that is, until he listened to Socrates for the first time. It was possible that on the same day he heard the famed orator speak, he went back, burned the play he was working on and became a disciple of Socrates.

A few years later, he considered taking up politics, but the execution of his mentor in 399 B.C. soured the idea. Instead, he devoted himself to writing, teaching, and studying wisdom. It was during this time in which many of his popular books were written. Some of his famous titles include Apology, Symposium, Sophist, Statesman, and Republic.

One of his most famous students was a prominent figure named Aristotle, who, upon Plato’s death, took over much of Athen's intellectual thought. Although he is now regarded in the same philosophical class as both Socrates & Plato, Aristotle threw out much of his mentor’s teaching. But never to be missed is that one of Aristotle’s students turned out to be the greatest conqueror of ancient history, Alexander the Great.

3. Memoir

Plato believed strongly in education, wisdom, and aristocracy. To illustrate, here are a few of his famous quotes:

• “Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous.”

• “Ideas are the source of all things.”

• “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

• “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”

• Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.

4. Conclusion

Plato was a robust and aristocratic philosopher, mathematician, and political influencer who published many of the basics of Western civilization’s philosophy. Part of the “golden ages” of both Athens and philosophy, he was taught by Socrates, taught Aristotle, and influenced Aristotle’s later pupil Alexander the Great. Arguably, his most important achievement was founding the world’s first university, although his math, politics, and dialectic are also notable.

Endnotes

1. It was out of theories that the word “abstract” was invented

2. Seen on Forbes, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and the Financial Times

3. Or popularized, as Socrates trained him. However, he differentiates from Socrates at particular points. For example, ExoticBrands notes, “Socrates disagreed with the concept of overreaching; he describes it as a foolish way to live.”

4. He was acclaimed as one of Athen’s greats in the study of mathematics!

5. I take the liberty to approximate by a year since the changing of calendars, among other factors, has made a precise date unacceptable.

References

Constitutional Rights Foundation. (2010). Constitutional Rights Foundation. Constitutional Rights Foundation. https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-26-1-plato-and-aristotle-on-tyranny-and-the-rule-of-law.html

Adhikari, S. (2019, June 19). Top 12 contributions of Plato. Ancient History Lists. https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/people/top-contributions-plato/

Hattingh, M. (2015, November 3). Discussing Dialogues: Why Plato wrote them, and why we read them • Die Bärliner. Die Bärliner. https://blog.berlin.bard.edu/discussing-dialogues-why-plato-wrote-them-and-why-we-read-them/

History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Plato. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/plato

Jensen, J. (2022). H212 Lectures [Vimeo].

Kampouris, N. (2022, March 9). The Platonic Academy of Athens: The world’s first university. GreekReporter.Com. https://greekreporter.com/2022/03/09/platonic-academy-athens-worlds-first-university/

Kraut, R. (2022, March). Plato. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/

Mark, J. J. (2009, September 2). Plato. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/plato/

Medrut, F. (2018, February 21). 20 Plato Quotes to Freshen Up your Philosophy on Life. Goalcast. https://www.goalcast.com/20-plato-quotes/

Meinwald, C. C. (1999a, May 27). Plato. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato

Meinwald, C. C. (1999b, May 27). Plato. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato

Nair, S. S. (2017, March 2). 29 quotes from Plato, the Father of Western philosophy. Yourstory. https://yourstory.com/2017/03/29-quotes-by-plato

Plato quotes (author of the republic). (n.d.). Goodreads. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/879.Plato

Robertson, D. (2021, June 7). David Fideler: A short history of plato’s academy. Plato’s Academy Centre. https://platosacademy.org/a-short-history-of-platos-academy/

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Academy. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Academy-ancient-academy-Athens-Greece

XoticBrands. (2020, April 10). 5 Philosophical differences between Plato and Socrates. Medium. https://xoticbrands.medium.com/5-philosophical-differences-between-plato-and-socrates-9980543ed7e3