Plato 's Life and Accomplishments
Plato was a philosopher who was born in Greece somewhere around 428 BCE to a family of the political and social elite. Since Plato was somewhat associated with this group, he had the opportunity to study many different subjects from many different teachers until he famously became a disciple of Socrates. Socrates was executed a few years later in 399 BCE for corrupting the youth and failing to observe the gods. After his death, Plato faithfully continued and adapted his philosophical tradition but never forgot that his teacher died as a result of democratic vote.
In 387 BCE, Plato founded the Academy where people would study a wide variety of subjects from a variety of instructors. Plato believed that this system would lead to social progress and a more stable government. Eventually, one particularly promising student at the Academy by the name of Aristotle became Plato 's protégé.
He spent the ensuing years writing and teaching at the Academy until his death in 347 BCE. His ideas eventually became the basis for the Western philosophical tradition.
Summary of Plato 's Works
Plato wrote predominantly in the style of dialogues. The characters in his writings debate a particular subject and examine it from multiple perspectives. Scholars typically organize Plato 's works into three different eras: early, middle, and late.
Plato 's earlier works tend to focus on lessons directly inherited from his teacher. In fact, Socrates is usually the main