Essay - Plato: Life, Philosophies, and Influence A. Time Period Plato Lived...

Plato: Life, Philosophies, and Influence

A. Time Period Plato Lived In.

Plato was born in 428 BC ***** grew up in a time of m*****jor political change in Ancient Greece. The Peloponnesian War began a few years after he was born and cont*****ued until he was twenty. Plato would have been liable to serve in the military after 407 BC ***** it is thought that he probably served in ***** final years ***** the war (Luce 94).

During the final ***** of the war, open disloyalty to democracy grew. This led to a period where the group known as ***** Thirty Tyrants ruled Athens. ***** group included two ***** *****'s relatives, Critias and Charmides. While Pla***** was tied to the group through family, it is believed that he was against their beliefs and actions. These actions included confiscating goods from wealthy c*****izens and putting many individuals to death (Irwin 85). At this time, Plato also had a close relationship with Socrates, who opposed the oligarchic rule.

The Thirty ***** and their government were then deposed, ***** ***** returning in their place. However, ***** democracy viewed Socrates as antidemocratic ***** eventually put him on trial and executed *****. This is the ***** that ***** describes in the Apology.

This led Plato to turn away ***** politics, which would ***** been his life work because of his parent's political background. Instead he turned to travel, study and philosophy. The ***** was one where the beginnings of science were just developing. Individuals studied astronomy, geology and religion in exclusive universities across Europe. Learning was not yet something that every individual was involved with.

The time ***** also ***** where ***** was becoming ***** focus, rather than religious matters. People were not governed by the laws of God, but by the ***** of the state. This ***** a time ***** ***** rules of government were just being implemented *****nd on a political level, a time of great change and uncertainty.

B. Who was Pla*****?

*****to was a philosopher whose writings spanned many subjects. To examine Plato's philosophies more *****ly, they can be divided into three sections: the Socratic, the Platonic and the Late philosophies.

The first ***** Plato's writings are referred to as 'Socratic.' ***** is because ***** than present Plato's own ideas ***** reflect on the ideas of *****. These *****s include Apology, Crito, Protagoras and Gorgias. Socrates ***** Plato's teacher and before Plato is able to present his ***** philosophies he ***** comes ***** an understanding of the ***** of Socrates. T***** process is analogous to the learning methods in modern society. A student ***** mathematics, for example, first learns the theory that the ma*****maticians ***** them has developed. After understand*****g this, the mathematician is ***** able ***** make their own additi***** to the subject. This first period ***** illustrates that Socrates was one of the major influences on Plato's life. The ideas of ***** became the basis on which Plato modelled his own, accepting and analyzing the ideas ***** then adding