Biography
Plato (427-347 BC) was a Greek philosopher. He studied under Socrates, and many of his Dialogues describe Socrates and the Socratic method as Socrates himself never wrote any of his philosophy down. Plato later taught Aristotle at The Academy, the first supposed institute specifically for higher learning. His main concern was the "universal form". This included both physical objects, such as chairs, horses, and man, as well as abstract concepts like truth, beauty, and justice. Plato remains an incredibly influential philosopher, particularly in the fields of mathematics, political science, and religion.
Influential Works
Plato Unmasked by Publication Date: 2003Keith Quincy's new translation of Plato's dialogues makes these texts truly accessible and restores to them some of their original power to provoke and inspire. Presented in chronological order, rather than the usual thematic groups, Quincy's dialogues present a sense of the evolution of Plato's thought, making him more clearly a subject than he appears to be in other collections. Each dialogue is preceded by an introduction linking it to historical characters and events, and providing biographical sketches of the principals and their relationship to Socrates and Plato. challenge the prevailing view of Socrates as an almost saintly figure, and of Plato as his devotedly brilliant disciple. But there is good evidence for Quincy's view, and it gives a new and enlivening slant to these treasured texts.
Republic, Volume I by Publication Date: 2013Plato of Athens, who laid the foundations of the Western philosophical tradition and in range and depth ranks among its greatest practitioners, was born to a prosperous and politically active family ca. 427 bce. In early life an admirer of Socrates, Plato later founded the first institution of higher learning in the West, the Academy, among whose many notable alumni was Aristotle. Traditionally ascribed to Plato are thirty-six dialogues developing Socrates dialectic method and composed with great stylistic virtuosity, together with thirteen letters. "Republic," a masterpiece of philosophical and political thought, concerns righteousness both in individuals and in communities, and proposes an ideal state organized and governed on philosophical principles.
