Biography of Plato

Origins

 Plato was born to Ariston, an Athenian aristocrat who traced his lineage to Codrus, the
king of Athens, and to Melanthus, king of Messina.
 His mother’s lineage, Perictione, included a relationship with the great Athenian legislator
Solon.
Impact on Philosophy

 Our current conception of philosophy is owed to the groundwork which Plato paved the
way.
 The true situation of man, the nature of the whole, and the perplexity of being all stem
from the mind of Plato.
 His writings include ethics, politics, mathematics, metaphysics, logic, aesthetics, and
epistemology.
The Academy

 After traveling around Egypt, Italy, Sicily, and Libya, Plato returned to Athens at 40 years of
age and founded what is believed to be the first institution of higher learning in the West,
The Academy.
 Many great thinkers and philosophers studied at The Academy, but none more renowned
than Aristotle.
Death and Impact

 Plato’s final years were spent at The Academy and with his writing. While the details about
his death aren’t for certain, it is believed he passed away around 348 BCE in his early 80s.
 His lasting impact has been felt far beyond just Greece, as many of his works have proven
to be essential for our understanding of the universe.
The Epistles

 Plato’s Epistles are a series of thirteen letters traditionally included in the Platonic corpus.
 The Epistles focus mainly on Plato’s time in Syracuse, as well as his influence on political
figures Dion and Dionysius.
 The addresses of the letters fall into three main categories: to Dionysius II of Syracuse, to
Dionysius’ uncle Dion, and the rest to various others.
 https://thegreatthinkers.org/plato/biography/