Plato was a famous Greek philosopher born in 428 BC in Athens. He was a student of Socrates and founded his own school called the Academy. After traveling for 12 years, Plato returned to Athens and taught subjects like astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory, and philosophy. He is renowned for his dialogues like The Republic, which discuss justice, courage, and an ideal government. Plato believed that ideas were more real than the physical world and that philosophy could solve political problems. He died in 347 BC, but his works had a profound influence on Western thought.

1. Plato

2. Who is Plato?
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Socrates Plato Aristotle

3. Plato’s Biography
•Born around the year 428 B.C. in Athens
•His father died when he was young
•Plato’s birth name was Aristocles (not to be
confused with Aristotle) and he gained the
nickname “Platon” because of his broad build
•When he was young, his basis of study was
music and poetry
•Plato was in the military service from 409 B.C.
to 404 B.C. and then joined a group called the
Thirty Tyrants, but ended up leaving it because
of the violence

4. • Socrates was Plato’s disciple and Plato started to adopt
his philosophy & style of debate.
• After Socrates’ death in 399 B.C., Plato left Athens with
some friends and traveled for the next 12 years while
studying geometry, geology, astronomy, and religion.
• Plato’s studies were directed toward the question of
virtue & the formation of noble character

5. Plato Back In ATHENS
• When Plato returned to Athens
in 387 B.C., he started a school
of learning called the
Academy, which was
eventually described as the 1st
European University
• At the Academy, he taught his
subjects astronomy, biology,
mathematics, political theory,
and philosophy.

6. Plato’s Works
• He had 36 dialogues (books) and 13 letters- “The
Republic”
• Give readers a sense of philosophy as a living and
unfinished subject, to which they will need to
contribute to finish
• Modern scholars doubt the authenticity
• After writing, his works were “lost” until the
Renaissance
• They have been steadily studied since
• Big influence in math and science
– Difference between arithmetic and logistic

7. • “He believed that ideas were far more real
than the natural world. He advised that
astronomers not waste their time observing
the stars and planets. It was better he
believed, just to think about them”- Carl
Sagan

8. Allegory of the Cave
•People lived life chained facing a
blank wall of a cave.
•They could only see the moving
shadows projected by the people and
fire behind them.
•The people began to think this of
was reality.
•However philosophers are people
from the cave that understands that
the shadows are being cast by other
people in true form.
•Fascinated with the idea of “Perfect
Form”

9. What If Plato Were to Run For
Presidency?

10. Plato & Politics
• The Republic
– Virtues of Justice
– Courage
– Wisdom and Moderation (Individual and Society)
• 3 Part Society
– Workers (producing)
• The “appetite” of the soul
– Warriors (protecting)
• The “spirit” of the soul
– Rulers (governing)
• The “reason” of the soul

11. Plato & Politics Cont.
Courage is not merely military courage but
primarily civic courage: the ability to preserve
the right, law-inspired belief, and stand in
defense of such values as friendship and
freedom on which a good society is founded.

12. Plato & Politics Cont.
Plato’s Government Would Have:
• Multiparty System
• Periodic Elections
• Professional Civil Service (Union)
Plato believed that that there could be a body of
knowledge whose attainment would make it
possible to completely heal political problems.

13. The End of Plato
• Plato died in 347 B.C.,
leaving the Academy.
• The Academy remained a
model for institutions of
higher learning until
Emperor Justinian closed
it

14. Plato and His Marvelous Beard