Plato was born to an aristocratic family in 427 BCE Aegina, a town near Athens. (73 Navia). He had two older brothers Laucon and Adiemantus who had a good relationship with Socrates and were involved in the “socratic circle”. Some say that Plato’s depiction of Socrates is the only valid one. Also it has been said that if it was not for Plato’s writings of Socrates that he would have not have had such a popular effect on society. Plato died at the age of 80 at a wedding in the Academy (73 Navia ) As a child being brought into an aristocratic family Plato thought himself to grow up and be involved in politics. However as he grew and came to realization with the corruption and unjust governments around him he chose to steer away from politics. From his youth he was involved in poetry and writing dramatic pieces. …show more content…
Despite the huge age difference Socrates has a great impact on Plato’s life. Plato met Socrates when he was in his twenties. He has written many dialogues that involve Socrates and we can identify his dialogues as early, middle and late. His dialogues are classified based on Socrates style of conversation.( Navia 79) It is classified as an early dialogue if Socrates engages in ethical issues. It is considered middle if Socrates discusses metaphysical and cosmological issues and expresses himself in lengthy rhetorical statements. Lastly it is considered a late date if Socrates is a minor participant in the conversation.(Navia 79) Plato’s apology describes Socrates much like Xenophon. He is described as a man who approaches all sorts of people to converse with. It is said that Xenophon and Plato both describe similar traits in Socrates. Socrates was said to enjoy engaging in conversations with many but those who only spoke to impress their