Plato

c. 428 BCE – 348 BCE · Athens · Greek philosophy

Socrates' student who turned questioning into a system — and founded the West's first school in the process.

Core ideas

Reality has two levels: fleeting appearances and eternal Forms
Education is turning the soul toward what is real, not filling a vessel
The just soul and the just city have the same structure

Historical context

Wrote through the fourth century BCE, a generation after Athens' defeat, trying to found politics and knowledge on something steadier than opinion.

Key works

Republic · Symposium · Phaedo · Apology

Questions they speak to

Minds in conversation

SocratesAthens
AristotleStagira, Athens
Ibn Sina (Avicenna)Bukhara → Isfahan

Sources

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — Plato