Hannah Hurst

PHIL 1000
Plato
Alexander Izrailevsky
http://photohurst.weebly.com/

Plato
In 428 B.C. one of the greatest philosopher was born in Ancient Greece.
Both of his parents came from the Greek aristocracy. Ariston, Platos father,
descended from the kings of Athens. His mother, Perictione, is said to be related to
the 6th century B.C Greek statesman Solon. Some scholars believe that Plato was
named after his grandfather, as a tradition of the naming the eldest son after the
grandfather. But there is no evidence of this or that Plato was the eldest. Plato was
taught by some of the finest educators. A privilege he was given because of his
very wealthy lineage. As a young man, Plato experienced two major events that set
his course in life. Meeting the great Greek philosopher Socrates was one of them.
Socrates methods of dialogue and debate impressed him so much that he soon
became a close associate and friend of his. Plato dedicated his life to the question
of virtue and to the formation of noble character. The other great event was the
Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, in which Plato served for a short
time. The defeat of Athens ended its democracy, which the Spartans replaced with

an oligarchy. Which was a life changing event for every Greek. After the oligarchy
was overthrown and democracy was restored, he considered a career in politics.
But, after Socrates was executed in 399 B.C., Plato decided to study philosophy.
After Socrates death, he decided to travel throughout the world for 12 years. He
traveled through the Mediterranean, studying math the with Pythagoreans in Italy.
Sometime around 385 B.C, Plato founded a school of learning. This school was
successful until 529 C.E., then it was closed by the Roman Emperor Justinian 1.
The Roman Emperor feared it was a source of paganism and a threat to
Christianity. Although his school 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 Greek cities. In
367. C.E., Plato was invited by Dion, his friend and disciple, to be the tutor of his
nephew, Dionysius II, the ruler or Syracuse. Plato accepted, hoping that it would
produce a philosopher king. But, Dionysius did not meet his expectations and
suspended Dion and Plato. Shortly after this Plato returned back to Athens and his
Academy. One of his most promising students was Aristotle, who would take his

teachings after his death and continue the Academy. In Platos final years, he spent
it in his academy and with his writings. The time around his death are clouded, but
it is fairly certain that he died in Athens around 348 B.C when he was in his early
80s. Some say that he died at a wedding while others say that he died peacefully
in his sleep. Well, we cant know certainly how he died, but his legacy will live on
forever. So, now let's get into his philosophy.
The philosophy of Plato is very complex. Plato had an ocean of wisdom that
changed the lives of many. For Plato there was a sharp line between what was
certain and what was not. He used a famous metaphor of the sun, which he held to
be The Form of the Good. It is the nature of reality and how we know it. The sun
is the greatest object that we can see. The sun brings clarity to everything in our
lives. The Form of the Good is mandatory to understand any particular thing.
The sun is symbolic of the truth. If there is no sun, then there is not truth or vision.
In the philosophy of Plato there are many metaphors that he used. Another
meaningful one, is the Metaphor of the Line. The line is cut into two uneven
piecing symbolizing different things. This line shows the difference of knowledge

of opinion, reality to appearance, and the world of being and the world of
becoming. This is an important concept of Platos. The world of Being is the world
of forms, and ideas. It is true, absolute, and independent. It will never change, but
yet it causes the needs of nature that we perceive in the world of Becoming. Plato
was sometimes vague about the relationship between the two, he has suggested two
ways in which they may interact. Objects in the material world may be only
imperfect copies of the ideal. Plato believes that every material object has a
perfect form called the Edios. His idea of a perfect second dimension. He seems
to have believed that men may make their way through the world of Becoming to
the world of Being. He shows how through the concept of love, men may return to
their perfect form, the Highest Good. This is the ultimate meaning for human
beings. The manner in which Plato expresses his opinions on this subject is very
well know, as it greatly condractics the common ideas of man. Although Platos
philosophy may be hard to understand he has made a lasting impact on this world
with his ideas and his legacy will never die.

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_epistemology
https://outre-monde.com/2010/09/25/platonic-myths-the-sun-line-and-cave/
Archetypes of Wisdom-Douglas J. Soccio