Plato Essay - 1058 Words

In 428 B.C. Aristocles (later known as Plato) was born in Athens. He was born on the island of Aegina, which lies just twelve miles off shore from Athens in the Saronic Gulf (Havelock 3). Aristocles was born into a great political family (Friedlander 14). His father being the descendant of Codrus, the last king of Athens, and his mother was descendant from the great Athenian law maker Solon (Friedlander 15). Like most adolescent children his ambitions were far from anything his parents had ever done. Aristocles wanted to be a wrestler. Aristocles attained the name â€Å"Plato† from his wrestling experiences (Havelock 4). Twice he carried the wrestling prize at the Isthmian games but seemingly never made it to the Olympics at Olympia. Plato†¦show more content†¦Plato explains that â€Å"most humans live as if in a dim cave. We are chained, he says, and facing a blank wall, with a fire at our backs. All we see are flickering shadows playing across the cave wall and thi s we take to be reality† (Friedlander 30). Only if we learn to turn away from the wall and the shadows, and escape from the cave, can we hope to see the true light of reality (O’Conner). Many criticize that this philosophy that Plato suggests is unrealistic. It has been said that his idea of the world is just that, merely an idea instead of the world itself (Havelock 32). Later in Plato’s life he became good friends with the powerful and well known â€Å"Dionysius†. Dionysius gained very high ranks in the army and was a large figure in the turning of Syracuse into the most powerful Greek city. Dionysius was a very proud man who did not like to be questioned or proven wrong by any means (O’Conner). He and Plato began discussing philosophy. Plato found himself questioning a flaw in Dionysius’s thinking. At this point Plato’s life was said to be in danger! Dionysius sold Plato as a slave in Aegina. (Havelock 27) Luckily Plato was bought for a mere twenty mina by his old friend Anniceris. Anniceris sent Plato back to Athens with enough money to set up a school. Plato bought land for his school in 386 B.C. (Friedlander 32-35) Plato then opened his Academy, which it later became known as, gathering a group of followers with him. Many of which were women. This was not veryShow MoreRelatedPlato And Plato s Republic1119 Words   |  5 PagesThe ancient Greek Philosopher Plato had an interest in finding the ideal government. In Plato’s Republic, he discusses his ideas and views of how this ideal government would function. He believed that people are born into 3 different classes, with different responsibilities (Plato 415a). Only people in the â€Å"golden† class were fit to rule. The most effective of these rulers would be philosophers, as they have knowledge of the good of the whole (Plato 473d). This system seems too perfect for me. IRead MorePlato967 Words   |  4 Pageswould wish the best for a friend regardless of the friend’s usefulness to them or what pleasure he could attain. Having been raised to strive to attain these virtues, the need for a reason to do so becomes pointless. Another difference is that Plato believes that the best type of good is one that is desirable both in itself and for the sake of its results, while Aristotle says that if X is desired because it brings you to Y, then Y is ultimately better than X. Therefore, the highest good is oneRead MorePlato And Plato s The Apology1623 Words   |  7 Pagesmore interested in determining how the world worked and its origins/cosmology, as oppose to philosophers such as Plato And Socrates who focused more on ethics or morality. Plato’s conception of God and religion can be depicted in his literatures â€Å"Euthyphro† and â€Å"The Apology† which he expresses through his writings of Socrates in dialogue formation. 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Comparing Plato to Rousseau, the beginning of philosophy to a more modern perspective. In Crito by Plato, Socrates continues a speech of the Laws of Athens by appealing to a social contract that exists between the Laws and the citizens. By living in Athens, one must abide by the Laws of Athens. Since SocratesRead MorePlato1819 Words   |  8 Pageswinner of the North Award for the best paper in the 2012 Agora. Ben presented an earlier version of this paper at the ACTC Student Conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, in March, 2011.) When reading the Apology and the Crito of Plato, one inevitably comes upon a seeming fundamental contradiction between the two dialogues. The Apology presents readers with a defiant Socrates who declares in his trial that, if acquitted on the condition that he never philosophize again, he wouldRead MorePlato s Symposium, By Plato1273 Words   |  6 PagesIn the book,† Plato’s Symposium,† by Plato, who was a philosopher in Greece, he illustrates the dialectic discussion at a party at Agathon’s to celebrate his triumph of his first tragedy. In the Symposium; the guests Phaedrus, an Athenian aristocrat; Pausanias, the legal expert; Eryximachus, a physician; Aristophanes, eminent comic playwright; Agathon ,a tragic poet and host of the banquet; Socrates, eminent philosopher and Plato s teacher; and Alcibiades, a prominent Athenian statesman, oratorRead MorePlato Vs. Rhetoric : Plato And Rhetoric2524 Words   |  11 PagesPlato and Rhetoric Plato is one of the greatest philosophers in history. Often his words and sayings resonate to this day. But, considering all what Plato has done, what is most peculiar about him is his condemnation of poets and sophists. Plato is in a constant fight to see that the way of true philosophy replaces these false arts. But even much more interesting is that Plato goes even further, and condemns the use of rhetoric, the art of persuasion, as a whole. He not only does this adamantlyRead MoreEssay on Plato1158 Words   |  5 PagesPlato: The Life of Plato Plato was born around 427 BC, in Athens Greece to rich and politically involved family. Platos parents spared no expense in educating him; he was taught at the finest schools. He was taught by Socrates and defended Socrates when he was on trial. Plato traveled to Italy and may have even visited Egypt before founding The Academy. Plato also visited Sicily and instructed a young king there before returning to The Academy to teach for twenty years before his death in 347Read MorePlato Vs Aristotle Vs Plato1814 Words   |  8 PagesPlato and Aristotle had a considerable amount of differences in ideology given that Aristotle was Plato’s student for roughly two decades. Plato, a student of Socrates, opposed the idea of average citizens to participate in politics because he believed that political practice was skill or â€Å"technÄ“ that can only be achieved by a few people. He believed that â€Å"kings must be those among them who have proved best both in philosophy and where war is concerned.† (Republic, 491) and that these â€Å"philosopher