Biography of Plato

Miles Rivera
Plato was a writer, philosopher, and mathematician in ancient Greece. He was born around 428
B.C.E in Athens, Greece. Both of his parents came from the Greek aristocracy, so he was part of
the richer social class. Plato was very likely educated as a child by some of the best teachers of
the time and that is probably were he started to learn metaphysics (the study of nature) and
epistemology (the study of knowledge), but this is not known.
As a young man, Plato met Socrates, a great Greek philosopher of the time that has become
renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics. Plato became a close associate/student of
his. Plato then also served in the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta between 409
and 404 B.C. The defeat of Athens ended its democracy, which the Spartans replaced with an
oligarchy. Plato had two relatives, Charmides and Critias, who were in the new government, but
they were corrupt and part of the notorious Thirty Tyrants, the pro-Spartan oligarchy, whose
brief rule severely reduced the rights of Athenian citizens. After the oligarchy was overthrown
and democracy was restored, Plato briefly considered a career in politics, but Socrates was
executed for corrupting the minds of the youth and impiety in 399 B.C.E, so he turned to a life
of study and philosophy instead.
Plato traveled for 12 years after Socrates died. He went throughout the Mediterranean region,
studying mathematics with the Pythagoreans in Italy, and geometry, geology, astronomy and
religion in Egypt. During this time is probably when he started his extensive writings. Scholars
dont know when exactly he wrote his books, but they classify them into early, middle, and late
periods. In his early writings he tries to pass on Socrates teachings and his middle writings are
his own philosophical ideas about life and just government. In his late writings he created his
theory of forms and formed an academy in 387 B.C.E. The Academy's curriculum included
astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory and philosophy. Plato hoped the Academy
would provide a place for future leaders to discover how to build a better government in the
Greek city-states.
Plato believed that mathematics is a way of understanding more about reality. He stressed that
geometry was the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe. The sign above the Academy
entrance read: Let no-one ignorant of geometry enter here. The first 10 years of the 15 year
course at the Academy involved the study of science and mathematics, including plane and
solid geometry, astronomy, and harmonics. Plato became known as the maker of
mathematicians, and his Academy created some of the most prominent mathematicians of the
time, such as Eudoxus, Theaetetus and Archytas. Mathematically, Plato is best known for his

identification of 5 regular symmetrical 3-dimensional shapes, which he maintained were the

basis for the whole universe. These became known as the Platonic Solids: the tetrahedron
(constructed of 4 regular triangles, and which for Plato represented fire), the octahedron
(composed of 8 triangles, representing air), the icosahedron (composed of 20 triangles, and
representing water), the cube (composed of 6 squares, and representing earth), and the
dodecahedron (made up of 12 pentagons, which Plato obscurely described as the god used for
arranging the constellations on the whole heaven).

The tetrahedron has 4 faces, 4 vertices, and 6 edges. The cube has 6 faces, 8 vertices, and 12
edges. The octahedron has 8 faces, 6 vertices, and 12 edges. The dodecahedron has 12 faces,
20 vertices, and 30 edges. The icosahedron has 20 faces, 12 vertices, and 30 edges.
Plato spent the final years of his life at the academy and with his writings. He probably died
around 348 B.C.E but it is not known for sure. There is writing that said he died in his sleep
while others say he died at a wedding. Platos ideas on the importance of mathematics in
education have proven to be essential for understanding the entire universe and his philosophy
on the use of reason to develop a more fair and just society focused on the equality of
individuals established the foundation for modern democracy.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato

http://www.egs.edu/library/plato/biography/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid