Plato (432-348 BC), born Aristocles, was an Athenian Greek philosopher during the Classical period of Ancient Greece, and the founder of the Platonist school of thought and the Platonic Academy, the first higher learning institute in the Western world.
Biography[]
Aristocles was born in Athens, Greece in 432 BC, a descendant of the Athenian king Codron through his father and the lawmaker Solon through his mother. His younger brother could not pronounce his name, so he nicknamed Aristocles platon, meaning "broad"; "Platon" became Aristocles' lasting nickname and adoptive name. Plato became a student of Socrates at a young age, and he was known as a bright, yet modest boy. During his life, Plato travelled to Italy, Sicily, Egypt, and Cyrenaica, and he was disgusted by the sensuality of life in Magna Graecia and returned to Athens at the age of 40. He founded the Academy in Athens, named for the hero Academus, and, during his later life, Plato visited Syracuse while it was ruled by Dionysius I. Dionysius' brother-in-law Dion of Syracuse became one of Plato's disciples, but Dionysius later turned against Plato and sold him into slavery; Plato's freedom was bought by the Cyrenaican philosopher Anniceris. Plato died in Athens in 348 BC, and his student Aristotle continued his teachings.
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