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Greek philosopher Plato
[427-347 B.C.E.]
![marble bust of Greek philosopher Plato [427-347 B.C.E.]](images/bustofPlato.jpg) | short profile |
Greek philosopher Plato [427-347 BCE] was a student of Socrates [470?-399 BCE] and the teacher
of Aristotle [384-322 BCE], who tutored Alexander the Great [356-323 BCE].
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
Plato entry at Wikipedia
Plato page at Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Plato page at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
browse The Plato Store {300 titles} at Amazon
Major Works
The current standard Greek text of Plato's complete works is the Oxford Classical Text in five volumes
edited by John Burnet; its first edition was published 1900-1907.
The various works of Plato were translated into English from Ancient Greek:
by Henry Francis Cary [1772-1844];
by George Burges [1786-1864];
the complete works in 1871 by Benjamin Jowett [1817-93];
and the Hamilton-Cairn
"Collected Dialogues of Plato, Including The Letters" published by Bollingen Foundation in 1961.
The ten works in this section were chosen because they are included in the "Plato Reader" and "Portable Plato" books.
The 1997 Hackett "Plato, Complete Works" edited by John M. Cooper is considered "the definitive edition
in English of the Platonic writings . . . replaces completely the Hamilton-Cairns collection".
 | "Plato: Complete Works" [1997] Edited by John M. Cooper & D.S. Hutchinson
Kindle Edition from Hackett Publng [8/2011] for $33.12 {sic} Hackett Publng 9¼x6½ hardcover [5/97] for $48.84 1800+ pages that include Platonian works and 'non-Platonian works in the Socratic style'; the Table of Contents lists: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo; Cratylus; Theaetetus; Sophist; Statesman; Parmen-ides; Philebus; Symposium, Phaedrus; First & Second Alcibiades; Hipparchus; Rival Lovers; Theages; Charm-ides, Laches; Lysis; Euthydemus; Protagoras; Gorgias; Meno; Greater & Lesser Hippias; Ion; Menexenus; Clito-phon; The Republic; Timaeus; Critias; Minos; Laws; Epinomis; Letters; Definitions; On Justice; On Virtue; Demodocus; Sisyphus; Halcyon; Eryxias; Axiochus; and Epigrams |
"Plato's Apology"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_(Plato)
"Plato's Crito"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crito
"Plato's Euthyphro"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthyphro
"Plato's Meno"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meno
"Plato's Phaedo (On The Soul)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaedo
"Plato's Phaedrus"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaedrus_(dialogue)
"Plato's Protagoras"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagoras_(dialogue)
"Plato's Symposium"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symposium_(Plato)
"Plato's Timaeus"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timaeus_(dialogue)
"Plato's Republic" [circa 380 BCE]
"Plato's Republic" entry at Wikipedia
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Enriched-Classics-Plato/dp/1416599703/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Illustrated-Plato-ebook/dp/B00JYIUJVO/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Influential-Classic-Plato/dp/0857083139/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-New-Translation-Plato/dp/0393314677/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-Plato/dp/0192833707/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-Plato/dp/0199535760/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Penguin-Classics-Plato-ebook/dp/B002RI9L3A/
http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Plato/dp/1468091697/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Republic-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486411214/
 | "Aristotle's Criticism of Plato's Republic" [1997] by Robert Mayhew Kindle Edition from Rowman & Littlefield [1997 edition] for $25.99 {sic} Rowman & Littlefield 9x5¾ pb [9/97] for $34.95 Rowman & Littlefield 9x6 hardcover [9/97] out of print/used Maison d'Être Bookstore's Aristotle [384-322 B.C.E.] Page |
 | "The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and The Philosophical Problem of Persuasion" [2015] by James L. Kastely
A rhetorical defense of democracy is a discourse on justice, but Plato's fellow philoso-phers cannot see how justice is a value in itself. Kastely demonstrates how "The Repub-lic" is a democratic epic poem and a pioneering work in rhetorical theory that examines issues of justice, communication, persuasion, and audience – a seedbed of theoretical ideas that resonate all the way up to our contemporary democratic practices. Univ Chicago Press hardcover [8/2015] for $34.55 |
Quotations of Plato
“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being
governed by your inferiors.”
“Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find
a way around the laws.”
“To be at once exceedingly wealthy and good is impossible.”
“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
“Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”
“No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nurture and education.”
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”
“Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be properous.
Though the land be good, you cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation.”
“The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.” (in "The Republic")
“We do not learn, and what we call learning is only a process of recollection.”
Other Works
There are 29 works in the Plato Canon, plus another sixteen considered 'Spurious' (‡: probably not written by Plato himself)
"First & ‡Second Alcibiades"
‡ "Axiochus"
"Charmides"
‡ "Cleitophon"
"Cratylus"
"Critias"
‡ "Definitions"
‡ "Demodocus"
‡ "Epinomis"
‡ "Epigrams"
‡ "Eryxias"
"Euthydemus"
"Gorgias"
‡ "Halcyon"
‡ "Hipparchus"
"Greater & Lesser Hippias"
"Ion"
"Laches"
"Laws"
"Letters"
"Lysis"
"Menexenus"
‡ "Minos"
‡ "On Justice"
‡ "On Virtue"
"Parmenides"
"Philebus"
‡ "Rival Lovers"
"Sophist"
"The Statesman"
‡ "Sisyphus"
"Theaetetus"
‡ "Theages"
Stageplays, Movies, Other Media
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0137312/
"The Death of Socrates (399 B.C.)" [May 1953] /tt0751926/ episode of the "You Are There" CBS-TV series
Plato is portrayed by both Paul Newman & John Cassavetes, Barry Jones is Socrates
 | "Plato's Cave" animated short film [indep 1973] Illustrated by Dick Oden; music by Larry Wolff; narrated by Orson Welles [1915-85] DVD/Blu-ray not available • no credits found at IMDb watch full movie [5/2008 upload; 8:18] online at YouTube |
"Plato" [1987] /tt1046520/ episode of "The Great Philosophers" TV series
"We're Still Here" [1997] /tt0119808/
80-minute Comedy, Drama, Romance - Two housewives discuss philosophical themes (actually an updated dialogue of
Plato and Socrates) while doing the house work, the husband of one of them rehearses his part in a play (reading...
 | "Allegory of The Cave" [Zahra Pictures Sept 2006] 27-minute documentary film based on the allegory in Greek philosopher Plato's "The Republic"; explores human behavior, society,culture, politics and religion and how they affect the way that we think and behave • Adapted & directed by Fahmi Farahat; Rene H. Hernandez is the voice of Socrates Zahra Pictures color DVD [4/2007] out of prodn/used credits at IMDb • official movie homepage watch 1/2007 official teaser trailer [0:34] online at YouTube |
 | "The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato's Allegory In Clay" animated short film [Bullhead Ent. Feb 2008] Claymation short film co-produced, written & directed by Michael Ramsay; claymation by John Grigsby; narration by Kristopher Hutson full credits at IMDb • official movie site watch 8/2008 short movie [3:10] online at YouTube |
 | "Plato's Allegory of The Cave" short film [TED-Ed March 2015] 4½-minute short film for TED-Ed; written by Alex Gendler; narration by Addison Anderson; animation by Stretch Films, Inc. credits not found at IMDb • official TED-Ed short movie homepage watch 3/2015 short film [4:33] online at YouTube |
Kindle Editions
Nordell Bookstores Group Kindle Hardware & Content Page
with FREE Kindle Apps for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPod, iPad, Android & BlackBerry
 | "All Works of Plato" for Kindle [undated] 31 works in 3789 pages; combination of versions translated by Henry Francis Cary [1772-1844] and by Benjamin Jowett [1817-93] Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [undated] for $1.99 |
 | "Plato: The Complete Works" for Kindle [undated] 29 works in 3917 pages; combination of versions translated by George Burges [1786-1864] and by Benjamin Jowett [1817-93] Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [undated] for 99¢ |
 | "The Collected Works of Plato" for Kindle [2010] 28 works as translated by Benjamin Jowett [1817-93] in 1871, in 1,822 pages {sic} Kindle Edition from Halcyon Press [7/2010] for $1.99 |
 | "The Essential Plato Collection: 25 Works, Illustrated" for Kindle [2011] 2476 pages from the Benjamin Jowett [1817-93] translations of 1871: Apology, Charmides, Cratylus, Critias, Crito, Euthydemus, Euthyphro, Gorgias, Ion, Laches, Laws, Lysis, Menexenus, Meno, Parmenides, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Philebus, Protagoras, The Republic, Sophist, Statesman, Sympo-sium, Theaetetus, and Timaeus – with 10 unique illustrations Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2011] for $1.99 |
 | "Delphi Complete Works of Plato (Illustrated)" for Kindle [2012] 8169 pages with a 'no-nonsense master table of contents'; includes 29 Platonic Works, 15 Spurious Works (absent Cleitophon), Letters, three biographies, four modern critiques, many illustrations Kindle Edition from Delphi Classics [2/2012] for $2.51 |
 | "The Plato Collection: 38 Classic Works" for Kindle [2012]
3376 pages and a linked table of contents; includes Alcibiades I & II; Apology; Charmides; Cleito-phon; Cratylus; Critias; Crito; Epinomis; Eryxias; Euthydemus; Euthyphro; Gorgias; Hipparchus; Lesser & Greater Hippias; Ion; Laches; Laws; The Letters; Lovers; Lysis; Menexenus; Meno; Minos; Parmenides; Phaedo; Phaedrus; Philebus; Protagoras; The Republic; The Seventh Letter; Sophist; The Statesman; Symposium; Theaetetus; Theages; and Timaeus Kindle Edition from Acheron Press [11/2012] for $1.99 |
 | "Plato Ultimate Collection: All Works Plus Multiple Analysis Plus Biography" [2013] includes 29 works (each with in-depth introduction & analysis), Introduction To Plato, biography Kindle Edition from Everlasting Flames Publng [10/2013] for $1.99 |
 | "The Complete Works of Plato" for Kindle [2013] includes 29 Platonic Works, 14 Spurious Works (with Cleitophon, absent Definitions & Epigrams), Letters, and several essays about Plato's works Kindle Edition from e-artnow [11/2013] for 99¢ |
 | "Plato Dialogues: Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Plato's Ideas" for Kindle [2014]
Kindle Edition from Annotated Classics [3/2014] for $1.99 |
Works About Plato & Platonism
The several books below that are entitled "Philosophy: From Plato To ..." are a definite clue
as to Plato's importance in early Western philosophy.
 | "Platonism and The Spiritual Life" [orig 1927] 100-page article/essay by George Santayana [1863-1952] Kessinger Publng 9x6 pb [9/2010] for $15.96 Charles Scribner's Sons hardcover [1927] out of print/used |
 | "Philosophic Classics: From Plato To Derrida" [1961; rev 2002] by Forrest E. Baird & Walter Kaufmann Prentice Hall 6th edition pb [1/2010] for $103.33 Prentice Hall 5th edition 9x7 pb [4/2007] for $69.82 Prentice Hall 4th edition pb [7/2002] out of print/used |
 | "From Plato To Piaget: The Greatest Educational Theorists From Across The Centuries and Around The World" [1993] by William Cooney, Charles Cross & Barry Trunk Fifteen essays on the important role that education plays in our world, covering Plato, Confucius, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Johann Frederich Herbart, Horace Mann, William James, Booker T. Washington, John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Carl Rogers, B.F. Skinner, Shinichi Suzuki, and Jean Piaget – with Introduction and Conclusion Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [1993 edition] for $30.71 {sic} Univ Press of America 9x5½ pb [11/93] for $32.33 Univ Press of America 9½x6¼ hardcover [11/93] out of print/many used |
 | "Full House: The Spread of Excellence From Plato To Darwin" [1996] by Stephen Jay Gould Random House 9x6 pb [10/97] for $11.20 Three Rivers hardcover [9/96] out of print/used |
 | "Plato in 90 Minutes" [1996] by Paul Strathern Ivan R. Dee, Publrs 8x5 pb [9/96] for $9.95 Ivan R. Dee, Publrs 9x6 hardcover [9/96] out of print/used |
 | "The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections From Plato To Foucault" [1998] by Alexander Nehamas Author reexamines Socrates's significance in Western philosophy (as reported by Plato) and then shows his importance in the writings of Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault Kindle Edition from Univ California Press [2000 edition] for $16.17 Univ California Press 9x6 pb [3/2000] for $28.76 Univ California Press 9½x6½ hardcover [9/98] out of print/used |
 | "Virtues of Authenticity: Essays On Plato and Socrates" [1998] by Alexander Nehamas A collection of 16 previously-published essays on various themes concerning Plato and Socrates Princeton Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [11/98] for $28.83 Princeton Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [11/98] out of print/used |
 | "The Essential Plato" [2002] by Paul Strathern Virgin Philosophers mass pb [4/2002] out of print/used |
 | "Plato For Beginners" [2007] by Robert Cavalier, Illustrated by Eric Lurio Kindle Edition from For Beginners [2007 edition] for $12.34 For Beginners 9x6 pb [8/2007] for $12.99 |
 | "Introducing Plato: A Graphic Guide" [2011] by Dave Robinson & Judy Groves Kindle Edition from Icon Books [2005 edition] for $5.38 Icon Books mass pb [1/2011] for $9.72 Icon Books 8½x5½ pb [10/2001] for $12.95 |
 | "The Just City: A Tale of Philosophy, Art, and The Struggle For Excellence In All Things" [2015] by Jo Walton Time-travelling goddess Pallas Athene gathers ten thousand bright children and several hundred adults from across history on an island in Ancient Greece and asks them to develop an ideal community based on the ideas in Plato's "Republic". The task is not easy to begin with, and gets more difficult upon the arrival of Plato's teacher Sokrates . . . Kindle Edition from Tor/Macmillan [1/2015] for $12.99 Tor Books 8½x5¾ hardcover [1/2015] for $19.70 |
 | "The Philosopher Kings: A Novel" [2015] by Jo Walton Sequel to "The Just City", twenty years later: The god Apollo (in human form as Pythias) suffers a tragic loss and becomes unhinged with grief and a desire for revenge. Kindle Edition from Tor/Macmillan [6/2015] for $12.99 Tor Books 8¼x5¾ hardcover [6/2015] for $18.74 |
 | "Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato: The Story and Work of Great Philosophers" [2016] by Elbert Hubbard [1856-1915] 114-page L.M. Publrs 8x5¼ pb [1/2016] for $7.99 |
"New Skins For Old Wine: Plato's Wisdom For Today's World" [May 2007] by Stephen C. Lovatt
1581129602 (ISBN13: 9781581129601) Published by Universal Publishers
"The School of Freedom: A Liberal Education Reader From Plato To The Present Day" [7/2009]
by Anthony O'Hear & Marc Sidwell
http://www.amazon.com/School-Freedom-Liberal-Education-Present/dp/1845401344/
"The Worlds of Plato and Aristotle" [October 15, 2011] by James B. Wilbur(Author), Harold J. Allen(Author)
http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Plato-Aristotle-James-Wilbur/dp/1258161745/
"Necessity: A Novel (Thessaly #3) [July 12, 2016] by Jo Walton
http://www.amazon.com/Necessity-Novel-Thessaly-Jo-Walton/dp/0765379023/
 | "The Great Philosophers: Socrates, Plato & Aristotle (Children's Biographies Series)" [5th grade & up; 2019] from Speedy Publng
Kindle Edition from Speedy/Dissected Lives [11/2019] for $4.99 Dissected Lives 8½x8½ pb [11/2019] for $12.36 Dissected Lives 8½x8½ hardcover [8/2019] for $24.71 |
Image Gallery
![the fresco 'School of Athens' [1509-11] by Raphael [1483-1520]](images/SchoolofAthens-paintingbyRaphael.jpg "the fresco 'School of Athens' [1509-11] by Raphael [1483-1520]") | the fresco "School of Athens" [1509-11] by Raphael [1483-1520] Used on many book covers, et cetera, about Plato and Aristotle, or about general philosophy. Painted on the wall in the Stanza della Segnatura (Signature Room) in the Pope's Library of the Vatican in Rome, Italy. The two central walking figures are Plato (red clothing, bald with long beard) and Aristotle (blue clothing, short hair & beard). |
![detail from the fresco 'School of Athens' [1509-11] by Raphael [1483-1520]](images/Plato&Aristotle-paintingbyRaphael.jpg "detail from the fresco 'School of Athens' [1509-11] by Raphael [1483-1520]") |
Friends & Family
Platon was born either in Athens or on the island of Aegina; the year was anywhere from 428 to 423, with the consensus
being 427 BCE. Plato studied with Pythagoras & Socrates, traveled, and then founded the Academy School in 387 BCE;
late in life he taught in Syracuse. Plato died in Athens in 347 BCE, aged around 80 years.
father Ariston of Collytus [d. 424 BCE]
mother Perictione
two brothers Adeimantus & Glaucon, and a sister Potone
stepfather Pyrilampes
half-brother Antiphon
teacher Pythagoras
teacher Socrates [470?-399 BCE]
student Aristotle [384-322 BCE]
L i n k s
Plato entry at Wikipedia
Plato page at Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Plato page at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
browse The Plato Store {300 titles} at Amazon
works by Plato {59 items in English and Greek} at Project Gutenberg
'spurious' Platonic works {4 titles} at Project Gutenberg
works by Plato {returns 1,323 items) at Internet Archive
BS's 'Plato and His Dialogues' fansite [est. 1996]
here on the Greek philosopher Plato [427-347 B.C.E.] Page
at Maison d'Être Philosophy Bookstore
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