Plato why is he famous

Hercules known in Greek as Heracles or Herakles is one of the best-known heroes in Greek and Roman mythology. His life was not easy—he endured many trials and completed many daunting tasks—but the reward for his suffering was a promise that he would live forever among the gods Live TV. This Day In History.

History Vault. Platonic Academy Around , the year-old Plato returned to Athens and founded his philosophical school in the grove of the Greek hero Academus, just outside the city walls. Recommended for you. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. Julius Caesar. Mummy Mania. Peloponnesian War. Hannibal's Bloody Tactics.

Socrates Viewed by many as the founding figure of Western philosophy, Socrates B. Aristotle The Greek philosopher Aristotle B. Pericles The so-called golden age of Athenian culture flourished under the leadership of Pericles B. Peloponnesian War The two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, went to war with each other from to B. Marcus Tullius Cicero Greek philosophy and rhetoric moved fully into Latin for the first time in the speeches, letters and dialogues of Cicero B.

Achilles The warrior Achilles is one of the great heroes of Greek mythology. Thucydides One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides c. Plato played a vital role in encouraging the Greek intelligentsia to regard science as a theory. His Academy taught arithmetic as part of philosophy, as Pythagoras had done, and the first 10 years of a course at the Academy included the study of geometry, astronomy, and music. These characters argue and disagree with one another, and Plato used these exchanges of different viewpoints to set ideas and thoughts against one another, allowing the best ideas to rise to the surface.

This technique guaranteed a thorough examination of each idea and is still used in philosophical discourse today. In contrast to the Republic, Laws concerned itself less with defining the ideal state, and more with planning a practical, if imperfect, system of government. The biographer Diogenes Laertius tells how it was left unfinished and written on wax tablets.

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Here, we have listed the top 12 contributions of Plato: Contents hide. Established the First University in Europe. Insight into the Philosophical Teachings of Socrates.

The Theory of Forms. Epistemology or Theory of Knowledge. Division of Labor. Platonic Love. Craftsmanship and Verse. Purposeful Anecdotes. Plato hoped the Academy would provide a place for future leaders to discover how to build a better government in the Greek city-states. In B. Dion believed that Dionysius showed promise as an ideal leader. Plato accepted, hoping the experience would produce a philosopher king. But Dionysius fell far short of expectations and suspected Dion, and later Plato, of conspiring against him.

He had Dion exiled and Plato placed under "house arrest. One of his more promising students there was Aristotle, who would take his mentor's teachings in new directions.

Plato's final years were spent at the Academy and with his writing. The circumstances surrounding his death are clouded, though it is fairly certain that he died in Athens around B. Some scholars suggest that he died while attending a wedding, while others believe he died peacefully in his sleep.

Plato's impact on philosophy and the nature of humans has had a lasting impact far beyond his homeland of Greece. His work covered a broad spectrum of interests and ideas: mathematics, science and nature, morals and political theory.

His beliefs on the importance of mathematics in education have proven to be essential for understanding the entire universe. His work on the use of reason to develop a more fair and just society that is focused on the equality of individuals established the foundation for modern democracy. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher considered to be the main source of Western thought. He was condemned to death for his Socratic method of questioning.

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, together with Socrates and Plato, laid much of the groundwork for western philosophy. Ancient Greek statesman Pericles, leader of Athens from — B. Euripides was one of the great Athenian playwrights and poets of ancient Greece, known for the many tragedies he wrote, including 'Medea' and 'The Bacchae. Dana Plato was a child actress on the television show Diff'rent Strokes. She fell into drug addiction and died of an overdose in The Greek poet Homer is credited with being the first to write down the epic stories of 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey,' and the impact of his tales continues to reverberate through Western culture.