Plato was an influential Greek philosopher who lived from 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC. He was a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. His work laid much of the groundwork for Western philosophy and science.
Think of Plato as the original scriptwriter for a blockbuster movie series. Just like how that scriptwriter lays down the foundation story, characters, and universe upon which sequels are built; Plato laid down many foundational ideas upon which later philosophers have built their theories.
The Republic: A Socratic dialogue written by Plato around 375 BC concerning justice and order in an ideal society.
Allegory of the Cave: A philosophical metaphor presented by Plato to explain how humans perceive reality versus truth.
Forms (Platonic): Abstract entities or ideals that are perceived as ultimate reality according to Plato's theory.
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