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The Greek philosopher Plato (c. 427–347 BCE) is renowned for his Republic, which argues against societies dominated by political turmoil and advocates instead the rule of enlightened and philosophically inclined elites (philosopher kings). As the most prolific interpreter of his mentor Socrates, Plato wrote dialogues characterizing Socrates as a shrewd and versatile interrogator.
Plato was born into a wealthy and aristocratic family that was active in Athenian politics. His given name was Aristocles: “Plato” was a nickname that he received as a result of his broad shoulders, testimony to his youthful love of wrestling. He first sat in the circle of the philosopher Socrates when he was about twenty and remained devoted to his teacher until Socrates’s execution in 399. Afterward Plato traveled for a time, visiting Cyrene, Egypt, and Sicily. His visit to Sicily ended abruptly when Dionysius I, the tyrant of Syracuse, had him deported.
Upon his return to Athens, Plato followed Socrates in the establishment of a philosophical circle. In effect, Plato removed himself from civic life, neither marrying nor participating in political life. Plato’s circle, however, had a more formal existence than that of Socrates. It met regularly in the grove dedicated to the hero Hakedemos, from which it took its name, the “Academy.” This circle, in essence a school if not a university, continued its existence for more than nine hundred years, ceasing its operations only at the order of Christian Emperor Justinian in 529.
Plato’s foundation of the Academy represents the merest beginnings of his influence on subsequent generations. The most prolific interpreter of Socrates, he wrote dialogues in which his teacher is characterized as a shrewd and versatile interrogator. Plato’s Socrates does not offer teaching so much as cross-examine claims to knowledge, tell stories, and muse aloud. In representing Socrates in this way, Plato, perhaps, sought to be true to the spirit of his teacher, who mistrusted certainties and dogmatism. Socrates’s (and therefore Plato’s) philosophy is represented much more as a process than as a product. Although we do not know with certainty whether the philosophical voice of the dialogues is more Socrates or Plato, we can be certain that the voice is an amalgam of the two. The philosophical style that emerges from the dialogues is, however, styled “Platonism.”
The principal feature of Platonism is its idealism. Plato asserted that perceived reality is merely a shadow of truth. Although concepts and objects exist in true and perfect forms, our perceptions and understandings of those concepts and objects are limited, and thus any attempt to apprehend or describe them is a partial construction, constantly subject to renegotiation, reinterpretation, and reformulation.
As such, Plato deeply mistrusted ideology. As a young man he had expected to enter politics but had been disillusioned by the narrow regime of the Thirty Tyrants (who included members of his family) and even more so by the restored democracy that had proceeded to execute Socrates. Plato’s Republic, arguably one of the most important philosophical texts ever written, mounts an argument against societies dominated by political turmoil, advocating instead the rule of enlightened and philosophically inclined elites—the so-called philosopher-kings.
After some years Plato took the opportunity to put this philosophical approach into practice. He was invited back to Syracuse by a former student, Dion, a philosopher and politician. Plato became the informal tutor to Dion’s nephew, the young tyrant Dionysius II. Dion and Plato both hoped to establish a rational and philosophically consistent regime, and Dionysius II himself initially also seemed enthusiastic. Court intrigue intervened, however, and Dion was banished. Although Dionysius II courted Plato and sought his approval, Dionysius II did not receive it. Instead, Plato went home to Athens, returning to Syracuse only in response to Dionysius II’s repeated invitations. Plato stayed for some time, initially hoping to influence Dionysius II and to secure the return of Dion. However, Plato realized that Dionysius II was not terribly interested either in confronting the questions that Plato led him to or in the welfare of Dion. As a result, Plato determined to return home but secured his passage only with difficulty.
Plato’s Sicilian experiences led to the composition of an open letter (Letter Seven), which is the most autobiographical document of his that survives. He remained in Athens for the remainder of his life, and at his death was succeeded as head of the Academy by his nephew, the philosopher Speusippus.
Plato’s achievement set the tone for much ancient and modern philosophy. Although he has drawn criticism for his elitist vision of an ideal society, he advanced propositions across the entire philosophical spectrum: from aesthetics to education, from mathematics to metaphysics. All subsequent philosophy has, indeed, been likened to a response to this vast body of work. He has also been vastly influential in an unexpected way: his dialogues, the Timaeus and the Critias, are the basic ancient primary sources for the legend of the lost city of Atlantis.
Bibliography:
- Annas, J. (1986). Classical Greek philosophy. In J. Boardman, J. Griffin, & O. Murray (Eds.), The Oxford history of the classical world (pp. 238–245). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
- (1955). The republic (H. D. F. Lee, Trans.). Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin.
- (1975). Phaedrus and letters VII and VIII (W. Hamilton, Trans.). Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin.
- Taplin, O. (1990). Greek fire: The influence of ancient Greece on the modern world. New York: Athenaeum.
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