Plato

~428–348 BCE · Greek (Athenian) · Classical Athens

Known for: Founded the Academy, wrote the Republic, and invented the concept of ideal Forms that haunts philosophy students to this day

Plato was born into Athenian aristocracy and became Socrates' most famous student. After Socrates' execution, he traveled to Italy, Sicily, and Egypt before returning to Athens to found the Academy — the Western world's first institution of higher learning, which lasted over 900 years. His dialogues — featuring Socrates as the main character — laid the groundwork for Western philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, and political theory.

His most famous work, the Republic, imagines a just society ruled by philosopher-kings. His Theory of Forms argues that the physical world is just a shadow of a perfect, eternal reality. He attempted to put his political ideas into practice by advising the tyrant Dionysius II of Syracuse — it went badly, and he was reportedly sold into slavery at one point before friends ransomed him.

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