Plato
Philosopher
Plato was one of the early stars of Western philosophy. The son of an aristocrat, he studied under the great Greek thinker, Socrates. After years of travel and study, Plato founded the Academy in his native Athens in 387 B.C.; it became a famous hotbed of philosophical and scientific discussion, and is regarded by many as the first known university in the world. Plato's writings mostly take the form of dialogues, or "dialectics," in which knowledge is revealed as two characters ask and answer questions of each other. (Socrates was often one of the characters.) Plato's text The Republic, in which he lays out his ideas on the perfect state, remains a staple of college reading lists around the world.Extra credit: Plato's most famous pupil was that other great Greek thinker, Aristotle... Plato's exact date of birth is unknown; most scholars believe it was during the years 429-427 B.C.
Plato bops with Bo Diddley in our loop Who's What?
Four Good Links
Encarta: Plato
For students, a good basic starting point
Plato and His Dialogues
A fine introduction from Plato freak Bernard Suzanne
Christopher's Athens
Fan page for ancient Greece, with an attempt to explain Plato's thinking
Plato's Works
Full text of his works, plus reader comments, from MIT
Vital Stats
Birth
c. 428 B.C.
Birthplace
Death
347 B.C.
(age 81)
Best Known As
The ancient philosopher who wrote The Republic
