PLATO'S ARGUMENT

Submitted by ub on

The ancient Greek philosopher, who was a student of Socrates, and a teacher of Aristotle, was the founding father of the Academy, and best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence.

Building on the demonstration by Socrates that those regarded as experts in ethical matters did not have the understanding necessary for a good human life, Plato introduced the idea that their mistakes were due to their not engaging properly with a class of entities he called forms, which were Justice, Beauty, and Equality.

Plato left his mark on Western philosophy. Socrates was condemned to death for his so-called “subversive influence” on the youth of Athens. Socrates appears in many of Plato’s dialogues.

In his great work, The Republic, Plato describes his idea of the ideal state, which would be organised into the Guardians, the governing class, and the Auxiliaries, the soldiers. Through these classes, the state would control the masses.

http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html