Plato

Pupil of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, Plato was central in shaping the intellectual tradition of the West.

Born into a distinguished Athenian family, he studied under Socrates with a view to a life in politics. After the forced suicide of Socrates in 399 BC, Plato became disillusioned with the corruption of public life and devoted himself to philosophy. He traveled widely before founding the Academy of Athens – the model for the modern university – where his students studied mathematics, science, philosophy, and rhetoric. Plato taught there for the rest of his life, and saw the Academy rise to become the most important school of the ancient world.

Plato's teaching survives in the form of 25 dialogues – philosophical debates on topics such as love, metaphysics, ethics, and politics – written for his students to perform. His early writing is strongly influenced by Socrates, but later dialogues such as the utopian “Republic” outline his own doctrines. His influence is such that the history of philosophy has been described as “a series of footnotes to Plato”.   [UP]