Plato

Lore & Background

Plato was born into an aristocratic Athenian family; through his mother, Perictione, he was a descendant of Solon. Diogenes Laertius asserts that Plato is a nickname alluding to his robust figure and that his birth name was Aristocles, but this is widely regarded as false by modern scholarship. He had two brothers, Glaucon and Adeimantus, both appearing in the Republic, and a sister, Potone, and a half brother, Antiphon. During his childhood, Athens was involved in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta. According to ancient writers, Plato initially wrote poetry—dithyrambs, lyric poems, and tragedies—but abandoned this when he met Socrates and turned to philosophy. In his youth, Plato encountered Socrates, who became his teacher and greatest inspiration. Plato never speaks in his own voice in his dialogues; every dialogue except the Laws features Socrates. The precise relationship between Plato and Socrates remains an area of contention among scholars. After the death of Socrates, Plato studied with Cratylus (a follower of Heraclitus) and Hermogenes (an Eleatic in the tradition of Parmenides). He later studied mathematics with Archytas of Tarentum, Theaetetus, Leodamas of Thasos, and Neocleides in the grove of Hecademus, where he would later found his Academy. He also traveled to southern Italy to study with Archytas and other Pythagoreans, whose influence appears significant.

Reader's Guide

Plato's most famous contribution is his 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. Along with his teacher Socrates and his student Aristotle, Plato is a central figure in the history of Western philosophy. His complete works are believed to have survived—unlike those of nearly all of his contemporaries—and have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Platonism's outgrowth Neoplatonism, he influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic philosophy. 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.'

Did You Know?

• Plato's birth name is reported by Diogenes Laertius as Aristocles, but this is widely regarded as false by modern scholarship.
• Plato never speaks in his own voice in his dialogues; every dialogue except the Laws features Socrates.
• Plato's complete works are believed to have survived—unlike those of nearly all of his contemporaries.
• Through Neoplatonism, Plato influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic philosophy.