Connie Miceli
HUMA 1301
Dr. Mason
Plato
Plato was a Greek philosopher born in 427 BCE. He was born in to a wealthy and upper
class family that resided in Athens, which was considered a city state in Greece at the time.
(Andrew Mason, Plato, 2010, pg 4.) Around this time in Plato’s youth Spartans were at war with
Greece. Sparta was a rival state and believed in an Oligarchic Political system, where Greece
was more of a Democracy, just not by modern day definition. The war ended by the time Plato
was 23 years old, but the ending of the war came with a nasty council that was later named the
“Thirty Tyrants.” The group of Thirty Tyrants were cruel to the Athens community in many ways
– they took over the government of the city, alienated the citizens, acted unethically, seized
people’s wealth and made unjust arrests and executions (Mason, 2010, pg 5.)
Also in his youth Plato made the acquaintance of a man in the public eye, Socrates.
Socrates would carry on to influence Plato, although not many others in the immediate
community due to him being rather unpopular. In 399BC Socrates was found guilty by the
courts of “corrupting the youth, and not recognizing the gods whom the city recognizes,”
(Mason, Plato, 2010, page 5.) The death of Socrates had an effect on Plato, and drove him and
other colleagues out of the area. It took several years for Plato to return to Athens where he spent
the rest of his days until his death in 347 BC. Shortly after his return Plato founded a school
where he could practice his teachings. Plato’s school included teachings of Philosophy and Math.
Although Plato himself was not a mathematician he had others he worked with in his school,
Eudoxus and Theaetetus, who assisted him with these practices. Plato never married and never
had children, however in his schooling he often encouraged the youth – especially from ruling
and wealthy families – to attend to empower themselves as great rulers for the future Plato
wanted the government to be aware of the disillusions that wealth and democracy can bring
(Mason, 2010.) Richard D. Parry said in his writings, “Unlike philosophers who seem to be taken
up by intellectual puzzle’s, remote from the trials of negotiating a good life from one end to the
other, Plato seems to be taken up with the most important question: What sort of person should I
