Philosophy
428 to 348 BC, Athens
The theory of Forms, the just city, and the examined life.
Start learning Plato →Plato’s revolutionary claim that beyond the changing physical world lies a realm of eternal, perfect Forms - the true objects of knowledge, of which physical things are mere imperfect copies.
Plato’s unforgettable image of the human condition - prisoners mistaking shadows for reality - and of education as the soul’s painful ascent from illusion to the light of truth.
Plato’s theory that the soul has three parts - reason, spirit, and appetite - often in conflict, and that justice and well-being consist in their right harmony under the rule of reason.
Plato’s vision of the just society in the Republic - ruled by philosopher-kings, with each class performing its proper role - and his profound, controversial answer to what justice is.
Plato’s portrait of his teacher Socrates on trial for his life - defending the philosophical life, declaring that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living,’ and choosing death over the betrayal of his princi…
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