The Ancient GreeksPlatoΠλάτων

Plato

•Most famous student of Socrates

•Founder of Idealism: belief that the material world is just a representation of ideal "Forms"

•Allegory of the Cave

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgPJUTltITk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2afuTvUzBQ

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6KVHMU3gb8

Life

•Born between 429 and 423 B.C. into an aristocratic family

•Because of his family’s position, he could have easily gotten into politics, but he did not approve of the cut-throat atmosphere

•He was a favorite student of Socrates. Socrates’ execution solidified Plato’s distrust of government

Life•Like Socrates, Plato’s teachings got him into trouble

•He was sold into slavery by the king of Syracuse

•After the king’s death, Plato was freed and returned home

•He was then invited back to Syracuse to teach the old king’s son to be a “philosopher-king.”

•The son ended up holding Plato against his will for many years

•While there are differing accounts of his death, all accounts say that Plato died as an old man of natural causes

Academic Life

•Plato was a devoted follower of Socrates who chronicled his life in a series of works known as The Socratic Dialogues

•Plato founded one of the earliest known organized schools in Western Civilization on a plot of land in the Grove of Academus called The Academy.

•Many great thinkers attended Plato’s Academy, most notably, Aristotle.

Philosophy

•Plato rejected the reality of the material world

•He believed instead that there was an unseen world where everything existed as an ideal “Form”

•The material world exhibited only reflections or shadows of the Forms, so it is imperfect and unreliable

Philosophy• He explained this belief in The Republic using the Allegory of

the Cave

• This is why the word “platonic” refers to a relationship that is purely spiritual and free from worldly desire

PhilosophyIn The Republic, Plato describes the ideal society or Utopia, analogizing it to the parts of a body

•The Spirit represented by the chest, is the Protective Class, which is made up of warriors or guardians

•The Appetite represented by the abdomen, is the Productive Class, which is made of up laborers and skilled craftsmen

•The Reason represented by the head, is the Governing Class, which is made up of rulers and philosopher-kings

Body Biography•THE HEART

•What he loves the most

•THE BACKBONE •What his most important goal?

•THE FEET •What is the foundation for his beliefs?•What does he stand for?

•THE HANDS •What is the work that he does?•What tools does he use?

• QUOTATIONS •“Direct” quotations•Things other people say

•SURROUNDINGS – Other influences

•WRITTEN EXPLANATION•Write a paragraph explaining your design

•Explain each of the symbols you used and why