Aristocles, a.k.a. Plato (c. 427-347 B.C.E.

) PROFILE: Plato was the nickname of an Athenian whose true name was Aristocles. The nickname means broad shoulder. He was born in Athens on (May-June) 428-7 B.C. His family was on both sides, one of the most distinguished in the Athens of the Periclean age. Plato studied with Cratylus, who was a follower of Heraclitus, and then with Socrates. He was also influenced by Pythagoreans, from whom he may have derived his great respect for mathematics. (He thought that the study of mathematics was a necessary to , on philosophy, and it is said that he expelled from his Academy students who had difficulty with mathematical concepts). Plato founded his Academy in 387, and it was the first multisubject, multiteacher institution of higher learning in Western civilization. The Academy survived for nine centuries, until the emperor Justininan closed it to protect Christian truth. He died at the age of eighty or eighty-one (348-7 B.C.)

WORKS Platos dialogues are divided into three groups: the earliest dialogues, the middle dialogues, and the later dialogues. Early Dialogues (Epistles) These dialogues are basically concerned with ethics and are written in a thoroughly Socratic way. They were written after the death of Socrates and before the year 390 B.C. (i.e., distinguishably Socratic). Plato was in his early middle forties and Socarates had been dead for at least 13 years. It is widely believed that the Meno is regarded as a transitional periods, and contains elements of both.

Works of the early dialogues include: Hippias Minor, Charmides, Laches, Protagoras, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Ion, Gorgias, Meno, Lysis, Euthydemus, Menexenus, Hippias Major, Republic I, Cratylus, Symposium, and Phaedo.

Middle Dialogues It is marked by the return to the old metaphysical problem of the pre-Socratics. The signal of this period was his doctrine of Forms. The middle dialogues reflects the new materials he uses to defend on of the principal ethical belief of his teacher. The middle dialogues is a unified metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, political, amd psychological theory that goes far beyond the doctrines of the early dialogues. The dialogues of Platos mature years were written between the years 387-367 it include: The Republic II-X, Parmenides, Sophist, Theaetetus, Timaeus, Philebus, Laws, Phaedrus, Philebus. Later Dialogues (Old Age) They were written between the year 367 and 348. In the later dialogues, Plato discusses three questions at lenght: the metaphysical problems of ideas, cosmology, and politics (continuation of the Republic) These include: Theatetus, Philebus, Parmenides, Timaeus, and Laws.

Unwritten Works The unwritten teachings of Plato were transmitted to us through Aristotle and they were called Platos esoteric doctrine. NOTE: The beggining of the study of Plato begins at the middle dialogues.

**************