Plato

Plato: The Life of Plato

Plato was born around 427 BC, in Athens Greece to rich and politically involved family. Plato's 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 347 BC at the age of eighty.

Growing up Plato would have gone to best schools the area had to offer; his parents were rich there were no limitations to what they could afford. Plato was taught by the best teachers available and was a very skillful student. Like the majority of boys in ancient Greece Plato was taught to wrestle and fight and in both activities Plato excelled. Poems were also an activity Plato enjoyed; he wrote them quite often, unfortunately none of them survived because when Plato began studying under Socrates he burned all of the poems he had written to devote himself to philosophy. The first time we know of Plato meeting Socrates is when Plato is twenty; however because of Plato's parents' involvement with government, their family friends, and Plato's schooling Plato mostly likely met Socrates at a young age.

There are several rumors that during the Peloponnesian war Plato not only fought but gained a few medals. While Plato was certainly capable of accomplishing these acts of bravery, yet it can not be known for sure as there is no proof. After the Peloponnesian War Sparta set up a government called the Thirty Tyrants, when the Thirty Tyrants were over-thrown Socrates was accused of several acts of treason. During Socrates' trial Plato and several of his other students stepped up to defend him. Unfortunately they were not successful and Socrates was forced to drink poison. At a later date Plato wrote "The Apology" remembering this horrendous time and the conversations as he and Socrates other students argued for Socrates life.

After Socrates death Plato and several of Socrates other students traveled to Megara where they stayed for 9 years. He also traveled to Italy around 390 BC where he met Archytas of Tarentum who introduced Plato to Pythagorenism. This helped form Plato's ideas that mathematics was the truest way of expressing the universe. There are also rumors of Plato traveling to Egypt and learning of the water clock but like all rumors it is not know for sure.

Plato founded The Academy in 387 BC; it was build on land that once belonged to a man named Academos hence the name The Academy. Plato founded The Academy for the purpose of teaching future leaders of Greece. The Academy had a gymnasium and several shrines on its large lot of land. After founding The Academy Plato traveled to Sicily, came back taught for four years, left for Sicily again, and then returned to The Academy to teach for twenty years. When Plato died he was succeeded by his nephew, not by Aristotle, which was who most people thought the successor would be. The Academy was eventually shut down in 529 AD, but it holds an immense record, it was kept open for nine hundred years, a feat no other establishment of its kind can claim.

In 367 BC Dion, a student and good friend of Plato, requested Plato to come and teach Dionysius II how to rule. Dionysius II's father had just died and Dionysius was still a young youth in need of instruction. Plato did as his friend Dion asked and went to Sicily to instruct Dionysius; unfortunately Dionysius was not serious about learning from Plato. Eventually Plato asked Dionysius' permission to leave as Sicily was involved in a war and there wouldn't be time for Plato to teach Dionysius anything; Dionysius granted Plato's request and Plato returned to The Academy were he spent time with Dion and taught again for the next four years.

Dionysius contacted Plato in 361 BC asking Plato to return to Sicily and teach Dionysius again. Plato did not believe that Dionysius was serious about wanting to learn again and refused. After Plato's refusal Dionysius began to surround himself with philosophers to try and persuade Plato that he was indeed serious about learning. Among the philosophers Dionysius surrounded himself with was Archytas of Tarentum who Plato was good friends with.