Plato

Plato
Roman copy of a portrait bust c. 370 BC
Born428/427 or 424/423 BC
Died348/347 BC
Athens
Notable work
EraAncient Greek philosophy
SchoolPlatonic Academy
Notable studentsAristotle
Main interests
Epistemology, Metaphysics
Political philosophy
Notable ideas

Plato (/ˈplt/ PLAY-toe;[1] Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn; born c. 428–423 BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He influenced all the major areas of theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.

Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which aims to solve what is now known as the problem of universals. He was influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.[a]

Along with his teacher Socrates, and his student Aristotle, Plato is a central figure in the history of Western philosophy.[b] Plato's complete works are believed to have survived for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries.[5] Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages.[6] Through Neoplatonism, he also influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy.[c] In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."[7]

  1. ^ Jones 2006.
  2. ^ Brickhouse & Smith
  3. ^ Kraut 2013
  4. ^ Duignan, Brian. "Plato and Aristotle: How Do They Differ?". Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Plato (c. 428–c. 348 BCE) and Aristotle (384–322 BCE) are generally regarded as the two greatest figures of Western philosophy
  5. ^ Cooper, John M.; Hutchinson, D.S., eds. (1997): "Introduction."
  6. ^ Cooper 1997, p. vii.
  7. ^ Whitehead 1978, p. 39.


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