The Greek Philosopher Plato

The Greek Philosopher Plato

Plato was born in 429 B.C.E. and died in 347 B.C.E. he was one of the classical Greek philosopher who was also mathematician. He was one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy, Kraut (2004). Plato travel for many years studying under his teacher Socrates learning from him. He wrote dialogues between Socrates and the other explores who traveled with them. Around the middle of the dialogues is Plato's Republic. It begins with a Socratic conversation about the nature of justice but proceeds directly to an extended discussion of the virtues, courage and moderation in individual human beings and in society as a whole (Kemerling, 2006). The Dialogues of Plato were the recorded teachings of Socrates. Plato also went to the trial of Socrates and he recorded the speech in the Apology. The Apology was one of the three works that tells us about Socrates last days.

After the Socrates death Plato left Athens upset at the society for the execution of Socrates. He spent several years traveling to Egypt and Italy and studied with Pythagoras students. As he traveled he continued to spread the teaching of Socrates. After many years of traveling he returned to Athens in 387 B.C.E. and founded the Academy which was one of the first permanent institution in the Western civilization devoted to education and research (Cunningham & Reich, 2009). The Academy teaches on mathematics, law, and political theory.

Plato was asked to come to Sicily to practice his political theories and turn Syracuse in to a more model kingdom. Dion ask Plato to return to Syracuse to teach Dionysus II to become a philosopher king. He then returned to Athens in 366 B.C.E after his second unsuccessful trip to Syracuse. Plato lived the rest of his live in Athens teaching and writing he died 347 B.C.E.

Plato's Theory of Forms provides a much more clearly stated positive teaching that are often ascribed. The Theory of Forms refers to the belief expressed by Socrates in some of Plato's dialogues, that the material world as it seems to us is not the real world, but only an image of the real world. Socrates talked about the forms and putting together a solution to the universal problem. "For some reason Socrates sometimes seems to recognize two worlds the apparent world which is constantly changing, and an unchanging and unseen world of forms, which may perhaps be a cause of what is apparent" (Wikipedia, 2010).

The majority of Plato's was dealing with political theory and construction of his ideal society (Cunningham & Reich, 2009). Sometime later Plato started developing his own philosophy ideas and the later dialogues of Socrates did more of the teaching than he does questioning. There is no doubt that Plato's vision of an ideal society is more like an authoritarian it involves many different restrictions the breeding of our children, the censorship of the music and the poetry, and the ending of private property. Plato was not out to give instructions but to challenge the people to seriously think of their live and how it should be organized.

During the years when Plato was alive he was able to study and learn for a great Greek philosopher Socrates. He learned about Socrates at a young age because of his aristocratic family. As he began to study under Socrates he became extremely intrigued by Socrates work and teaching.