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Top 20 Facts about Plato

Originally published by Pamela in March 2020, Updated by Charity K in August 2022, Updated by Vanessa R in July 2023, and Updated by Nellian in May 2024.

Plato was an Athenian philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He is widely considered the pivotal figure in the history of Ancient Greek and Western philosophy. Plato has often been cited as one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality. He was the innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms in philosophy.

Plato was given the finest education Athens had to offer the scions of its noble families. He devoted his considerable talents to politics and the writing of tragedy and other forms of poetry. His acquaintance with Socrates altered the course of his life. The compelling power that Socrates’ methods and arguments had over the minds of the youth of Athens gripped Plato and many others, and he became a close associate of Socrates.

1. Details of his early life are hearsay

Due to a lack of proper records, because Plato lived thousands of years ago, we can’t be sure about many aspects of Plato’s life. We know some things about his family life just simply based on what historians have been able to uncover. But his works are a whole other story. They’ve been virtually left intact for centuries upon centuries, whereas works by other philosophers who also lived in his period haven’t stood the test of time.

2. He spent time as a soldier in Greece

Plato served as a soldier during the Peloponnesian War between 409 and 404 BCE. In the conflict, the Spartans defeated the Athenians and an oligarchy was put in place. Eventually, democracy came back, and Plato considered a life in politics. Had he stuck with this plan, the history of Greece and the Western World as a whole might have been extremely different. So what changed his mind? When Socrates was executed in 399 BCE over political disputes, Plato turned his focus to philosophy instead.

3. Plato wrote dialogues

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The majority of Plato’s works are in the form of dialogues. They’re exactly what they sound like, mind-opening conversational pieces. He wrote Laches about courage, Lysis about friendship, and Charmides, which talks about common sense, these are but a few. Altogether, his dialogues formed what his philosophical teachings would be when he got to his Academy.

4. Plato had a school

Plato created his school, The Academy in Athens. Founded in 385 BCE, it’s considered to be among the first Western institutions to offer higher learning. Students who attended The Academy learned topics like philosophy, of course, but also astronomy, math, biology, and political theory.

Plato’s academy was quite peculiar. There was no tuition and anyone who wanted to learn there could. The academy would run through goodwill and charity. Parents gave donations and presents. He also encouraged his students to be celibate and live simply. On average, students stayed for four years, though the famous Aristotle was more of a perpetual student of the Academy, he stayed there for 20 years.

5. He had an interesting view of death

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Plato had some pretty interesting ideas about death and what happens to us when we die. He introduced the idea that we reincarnate and have immortal souls. Plato alleged that souls that were good and full of knowledge could gain access to higher planes within the universe. Not only did he believe that people had souls, but he also considered the constellations to have them as well. Very intriguing don’t you think?

6. His family member almost had Socrates killed

One of Plato’s own family, an uncle named Critias, was a leader of the Thirty Tyrants, a group of merciless rulers from Athens. When the Spartans were victorious over Athens, the Thirty Tyrants were put in power. They had many tried for crimes committed during the war and here is where Socrates was presented. In Plato’s work, â€˜´¡±è´Ç±ô´Ç²µ²â’,&²Ô²ú²õ±è;he argues that Socrates only had his own life spared because the Thirty Tyrants were overthrown in the nick of time.

7. He tutored royalty

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In 367 BCE, Plato was invited to Sicily; which at the time it was called Syracuse, to tutor the new ruler, Dionysius II. The young ruler’s uncle, Dion, had hopes that Dionysius would be a great king and believed Plato could help him. Plato was excited at the chance to mold the boy into his philosopher-king. Unfortunately, Dionysius wasn’t the best of students and showed little promise.

8. His father was a descendant of Kings

Plato belonged to an aristocratic and influential family. His father, Ariston, was a direct descendant of the king of Athens, Codrus, and the king of Messenia, Melanthus. His mother, Perictione, also had aristocratic blood in her by way of her famous Athenian lawmaker and lyric poet Solon. He was one of the seven sages, who repealed the laws of Draco, except for the death penalty for homicide.

9. He has many famous last works

Plato’s final group of works, written after 367, consists of the Sophist, the Statesman, Philebus, Timaeus, Critias, and the Laws. The Sophist, takes up the metaphysical question of being and not being, while the Statesman concludes that the best type of city-state would be the one in which the expert is given absolute authority with no hindrance to his rule from laws or constitution.

Moreover, the Timaeus discusses the rationality inherent in the universe which confirms Plato’s scheme, while the Laws, Plato’s last work once again takes up the question of the best framework in which society might function for the betterment of its citizens. Here great stress is laid on an almost numinous approach to the great truth of the rational universe.

10. Plato died in 347 B.C

Plato died in 347 B.C., the founder of an important philosophical school, which existed for almost 1, 000 years, and the most brilliant of Socrates’ many pupils and followers. His system attracted many followers in the centuries after his death and resurfaced as Neoplatonism, a philosophical and religious system.

11. Plato was a mathematics teacher

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Plato may have studied under the mathematician Theodorus of Cyrene and has a dialogue named for and whose central character is the mathematician Theaetetus. While not a mathematician, Plato was considered an accomplished teacher of mathematics. 

Eudoxus of Cnidus, the greatest mathematician in Classical Greece, who contributed much of what is found in Euclid’s Elements, was taught by Archytas and Plato. Plato helped to distinguish between pure and applied mathematics by widening the gap between “arithmetic”, now called number theory, and “logistic”, now called arithmetic.

12. Plato was a follower of Socrates

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Plato was one of the devoted young followers of Socrates. The precise relationship between Plato and Socrates remains an area of contention among scholars.

Plato never speaks in his own voice in his dialogues; every dialogue except the Laws features Socrates, although many dialogues, including the Timaeus and Statesman, feature him speaking only rarely. In the Second Letter, it says, “no writing of Plato exists or ever will exist, but those now said to be his are those of a Socrates become beautiful and new”; if the letter is Plato’s, the final qualification seems to call into question the dialogues’ historical fidelity.

In any case, Xenophon’s Memorabilia and Aristophanes’s The Clouds seem to present a somewhat different portrait of Socrates from the one Plato paints. The Socratic problem concerns how to reconcile these various accounts. Leo Strauss notes that Socrates’ reputation for irony casts doubt on whether Plato expressed sincere beliefs.

13. Plato is a famous Philosopher of the republic

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Plato’s most famous work is the Republic, which details a wise society run by a philosopher. He is also famous for his dialogues (early, middle, and late), which showcase his metaphysical theory of forms, something else he is well known for.

 

14. Plato’s theory of forms

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There are several characteristics of forms, according to Plato, which distinguish them from their manifestations in the physical realm. These characteristics include forms being: Aspatial, Atemporal, Divine, and Intelligible, but not perceptible.

Plato believed that humans cannot ever create forms in the physical realm, even in their minds. People can comprehend the idea of forms, however. Indeed, doing so is an important part of understanding the universe.

15. Plato and the idea of ethics

Several dialogues discuss ethics including virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, crime and punishment, and justice and medicine. Plato views “The Good” as the supreme Form, somehow existing even “beyond being”.

Socrates propounded a moral intellectualism that claimed nobody does bad on purpose, and to know what is good results in doing what is good; that knowledge is a virtue. In the Protagoras dialogue, it is argued that virtue is innate and cannot be learned. Socrates presents the famous Euthyphro dilemma in the dialogue of the same name: “Is the pious  loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?”

16. The name “Plato” was a nickname

Plato’s socially elite family allowed him many opportunities including wrestling coaching. His birth name was Aristocles. The moniker, Plato was given to him by his wrestling trainer. Plato comes from the Greek word “platon, ” meaning “broad.” Thus his wrestling coach is believed to have nicknamed him Plato, due to his broad shoulders.

17. Philosopher Pythagoras thoughts inspired Plato

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The Greek philosopher Pythagoras and his followers had a big influence on Plato. The Pythagoreans led to Pythagoreanism which originated in the 6th century BC. Following Pythagoras’ death, disputes about his teachings arose leading to two philosophical groups within Pythagoreanism.

Besides, Pythagorean ideas had a huge influence on Plato. Through him, these teachings spread to all of Western philosophy. The majority of surviving sources on Pythagoras are credited to Plato and philosophers of his Peripatetic school.

18. The famed Greek astronomer Eudoxus was Plato’s student

Plato is celebrated for nurturing great minds like Eudoxus of Cnidus. This ancient Greek astronomer, mathematician, doctor, cum lawmaker was a student of Plato alongside the ancient Greek mathematician Archytas.

Eudoxus is remembered for introducing the concept of concentric spheres in mathematical astronomy. He is also praised for his early contributions in explaining the movement of the planets. Thus craters on Mars and the Moon are named after him.

His work on proportions led to a significant contribution to quantitative studies in science. Hence inspiring Richard Dedekind’s work on the real numbers. In his honor, an algebraic curve (the Kampyle of Eudoxus) is also named after him.

19. Plato’s political ambitions ended up unfruitful

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His political ambitions were to moderate the Sicilian tyrants with philosophical education. This would in turn establish a model political rule in the Italian Island.

Plato visited Syracuse at three different times, first in 387. He later returned in 367, and again between 362-361. This adventure with practical politics failed in all attempts, leading to his return to Athens.

20. The legend of Atlantis has roots in Plato’s dialogues

According to legend, Atlantis is an island in the Atlantic Ocean lying west of the Strait of Gibraltar. This Island considered a mere legend, originated from Plato’s dialogues, Timaeus and Critias.

In Critias, Plato describes how Egyptian priests, held Atlantis in high regard considering it larger than Asia Minor (now Turkey) and Libya combined. Further, the dialogue expresses how Atlantis’s powerful princes conquered many of the surrounding Mediterranean lands.

Furthermore, these princes were finally defeated by the Athenians and their allies. Later, the wickedness of the Atlantians resulted in earthquakes that led to the Island being swallowed by the sea.

Take a look at Plato’s famous philosophical thoughts:

1. Plato’s Theory of Forms

The ultimate goal of the Theory of Forms is to understand reality. According to Plato, what people see and feel in their day-to-day lives are merely representations of the real truth, which people cannot access but which still has an impact on the world. Most people find this theory to be confusing, but despite this, it has greatly influenced philosophy and shares elements with Kantian metaphysics and other philosophical ideas.

2. Dualism

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According to Plato, the soul might and would continue to exist even after the body had died. He was the first to support this claim in writing. He provided “proof” for his argument. None of the several justifications or counterarguments he presented today still hold up. They are viewed as being incredibly faulty and unpersuasive or being flimsy arguments.

Humans have both bodies and souls, according to him, but the soul is more significant and eternal. He made claims in his reasoning that we now find to be questionable. For instance, Plato believed he could get to the conclusion that the soul might exist apart from the body since it did so when it engaged in pure thought. According to this dualistic perspective, true knowledge and insight can be attained through the observation of the Forms and the ultimate reality lies outside of the material world.

3. Philosopher-King and the Ideal State

The philosopher king is a fictional monarch who combines philosophical knowledge with political knowledge. Plato’s Republic, which was written around 375 BC, is the first work to discuss the idea of a city-state governed by philosophers. According to Plato, only a ruler with absolute knowledge, attained by philosophical study, could create the ideal state—one that provided the greatest possible happiness for all of its citizens.

Now you know the top 20 facts about Plato and his most famous philosophical ideas. I hope you enjoyed reading this article.