Plato

Plato was a philosopher who was born in Greece somewhere around 428 BCE to a family of the political and social elite. Since Plato was somewhat associated with this group, he had the opportunity to study many different subjects from many different teachers until he famously became a disciple of Socrates. Socrates was executed a few years later in 399 BCE for corrupting the youth and failing to observe the Gods. After his death, Plato faithfully continued and adapted his philosophical tradition but never forgot that his teacher died as a result of democratic vote.

Philosophical ideas
He often discussed metaphysics, the theory of forms and epistemology.

Perhaps his most famous concept is the allegory of the cave.

The dialogue form in which Plato writes is more than a mere literary device; it is instead an expression of Plato’s understanding of the purpose and nature of philosophy. For Plato, philosophy is a process of constant questioning, and questioning necessarily takes the form of dialogue. Near the end of the Phaedrus, Socrates expresses his reservations about written texts, worrying that people will cease to think for themselves when they have someone else’s thoughts written out in front of them. Plato took it upon himself to write his thoughts down anyway, but he was careful not to write them in such a way that we could easily assimilate his thoughts rather than thinking for ourselves. Many of the dialogues reach no definite conclusions, and those that do generally approach those conclusions by casting doubts and examining possible counterarguments. Plato cannot be there in person to share his thoughts with us, but he wants to ensure that we think through them ourselves.