25 Fascinating Facts About Plato That You Didn't Learn in School
Did you skip out on Philosophy class back in college? Even if you did, it's impossible not to have heard of Plato. But there's a big...
By PocketEpiphany
Published 1 year ago in Wow
Did you skip out on Philosophy class back in college? Even if you did, it's impossible not to have heard of Plato. But there's a big difference between hearing about Plato and understanding. Keep reading to learn more about history's most famous teacher!
1
Socrates wrote nothing. All that is known about him has been inferred from accounts by members of his circle—primarily Plato and Xenophon—as well as by Plato's student Aristotle, who acquired his knowledge of Socrates through his teacher. -u/gullydon
2
Zeno of Citium, the founder of stoicism, wrote his own version of The Republic in response to Plato's. The work has not survived, but it depicted a stoic utopia based on the principles of asceticism. -u/bhlogan2
3
The demiurge of Gnosticism originally came from Plato’s dialogue Timaeus. the demiurge of Timaeus is depicted as a benevolent figure who shaped the universe whereas the Demiurge of Gnosticism is depicted as an evil or ignorant figure who created the material universe. -u/Choice_Shine5123
4
As a student of Aristotle, Alexander the Great was said to be a philosopher king, that is, a ruler who possessed both a love of wisdom, as well as intelligence, reliability, and a willingness to live a simple life. Such a king was the ideal ruler in Plato's fictional utopian city of Kallipolis. -u/dustofoblivion123
5
Socrates was very worried that the increasing use of books in education would have the effect of ruining students' ability to memorize things. We only remember this now because Plato wrote it down. -u/Breeze_in_the_Trees
6
Akrotiri (prehistoric city) may have been the inspiration for Plato's story of Atlantis. -u/don_canicas
7
The concept of a soulmate was originally put forth by Plato. According to his story humans originally had 4 arms, 4 legs and 2 faces. The gods feared humans were too powerful and so Zeus split them in two, condemning them to spend their lives searching for the other half of their soul. -u/Penguin__Farts
8
When Plato defined humans as "featherless bipeds", Diogenes brought a plucked chicken into Plato's classroom, saying "Behold! I've brought you a man!". After the incident, Plato added "with broad flat nails" to his definition. -u/Priamosish
9
Plato believed in extramission theory which stated that human vision was achieved by eye beams projected from the eyes. These beams were reputedly the source of power of the basilisk, whose gaze was lethal. -u/mandelbomber
10
Unlike the work of nearly all of his contemporaries, Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years. Although their popularity has fluctuated over the years, the works of Plato have never been without readers since the time they were written. -u/yaboodooect
11
The Greek philosopher Plato's real name is unknown, as "Plato" is his wrestling nickname. -u/vidoardes
12
Democritus (460-370BCE) was an Ancient Greek philosopher known for his atomic theory of the universe. He was a nobody in Athens and Plato is said to have wanted all his books destroyed. -deleted user
13
In 1964, the actor Sidney Poitier released an album of himself reciting selections from Plato's dialogues. -u/RunDNA
14
Plato wrote of the Ring of Gyges: A shepherd found a golden ring in a tomb in a cave, pocketed it, realized it could make him invisible, used it to seduce the queen, commit regicide, and become the new king. -u/chacham2
15
Euthyphro dilemma was found in Plato's dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks Euthyphro question: "Is what is morally good commanded by God because it is morally good, or is it morally good because it is commanded by God? -u/AmiroZ
16
Plato’s name is actually a nickname that means ‘broad’. It was given to him on account of his handsome, robust and well-built figure. -u/Perigold
17
Plato won Pankration in the Olympics twice, a form of fighting that only bars gouging and biting. -u/JustAManFromThePast
18
Despite the twenty-four centuries separating the two men, both Plato and Freud shared the same pessimism regarding human nature: man is driven by his desires or what Freud called ‘drives’ or instincts. -u/vannybros
19
A key question for the ancient Greeks is whether the soul can exist independently of the body. Plato (from the Phaedo) certainly thought that the soul could exist separately. On Aristotle’s account, although the soul is not a material object, it is not separable from the body. -u/vannybros
20
A few thousand years before Plato described Atlantis there really was a big island that disappeared in the middle of the North Sea. -u/MictIantecuhtIi
21
Plato, the famous ancient Greek philosopher, believed people have knowledge "from past incarnations" and that learning is a matter of "rediscovering" it. -u/SWFK
22
Plato attempted to describe how the world came into being in his dialogue "Timaeus". Plato first argues that since the sensible world “is always becoming and is never real,” it must have come to be, and therefore must have a cause. This cause he calls “the maker and father of the universe.” -u/princey12
23
“The allegory of the cave” was created by Plato to explain “the effect of education (παιδεία) and the lack of it on our nature...claiming that “knowledge gained through the senses is no more than opinion” & that “in order to have real knowledge, we must gain it through philosophical reasoning.” -u/abizle
24
The mythical location of Atlantis was invented by Plato. Despite only being briefly mentioned in two of his dialogues, it’s had a lasting impact on literature and culture. -deleted user
25
Socrates taught Plato, Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. -u/-SirBerry-
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