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Tuesday Afternoon

(56,912 posts)
Sun Mar 17, 2013, 09:20 AM Mar 2013

Plato

Plato (pron.: /ˈpleɪtoʊ/; Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, "broad";[2] 424/423 BC[a] – 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science.[3] In the words of A. N. Whitehead:

The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. I do not mean the systematic scheme of thought which scholars have doubtfully extracted from his writings. I allude to the wealth of general ideas scattered through them.[4]

Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts.[5] Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, and mathematics. Plato is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy.

more at link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato

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Plato (Original Post) Tuesday Afternoon Mar 2013 OP
Anyone with serious interest in freedom and government... discntnt_irny_srcsm Mar 2013 #1
yw and thanks for the link - Tuesday Afternoon Mar 2013 #2
In Plato's allegory of the cave the man breaks his bonds and leaves the cave. rhett o rick Mar 2013 #3

discntnt_irny_srcsm

(18,479 posts)
1. Anyone with serious interest in freedom and government...
Sun Mar 17, 2013, 09:35 AM
Mar 2013

...should give The Republic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Republic_%28Plato%29 a read. I've not read since college but I plan on rereading it soon.

Thanks for this.

Tuesday Afternoon

(56,912 posts)
2. yw and thanks for the link -
Sun Mar 17, 2013, 09:38 AM
Mar 2013


on edit: first paragraph of article -

The Republic (Greek: Πολιτεία, Politeia) is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato around 380 BC concerning the definition of justice and the order and character of the just city-state and the just man.[1] The dramatic date of the dialogue has been much debated and though it must take place some time during the Peloponnesian War, "there would be jarring anachronisms if any of the candidate specific dates between 432 and 404 were assigned".[2] It is Plato's best-known work and has proven to be one of the most intellectually and historically influential works of philosophy and political theory.[3][4] In it, Socrates along with various Athenians and foreigners discuss the meaning of justice and examine whether or not the just man is happier than the unjust man by considering a series of different cities coming into existence "in speech", culminating in a city (Kallipolis) ruled by philosopher-kings; and by examining the nature of existing regimes. The participants also discuss the theory of forms, the immortality of the soul, and the roles of the philosopher and of poetry in society.[5]
 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
3. In Plato's allegory of the cave the man breaks his bonds and leaves the cave.
Sun Mar 17, 2013, 07:24 PM
Mar 2013

When outside he sees a different reality than what was in the cave. Why would he trust that the new "reality" is anymore real than the old reality? Why didnt he suspect that what he was seeing was just another false reality?

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