Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato

Who was Plato?

• Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher.
• He was born in 428 BC.
• Plato founded "The Academy," which was the first institute of higher learning.
• His disciple was Aristotle.

Main Ideas of Plato

• Plato believed that Ultimate Reality is derived from forms.
• He said that the world we see is not real, the real world is unchanging and eternal.
• He emphasized intellectual study and mathematics to understand knowledge.
• Through "Allegory of the Cave," he explained the difference between reality and illusion.

Books of Plato

• Apology of Socrates
• The Republic
• The Statesman
• Laws

Plato's Views on Justice

• Plato saw justice as the concentration of an individual on their duty.
• The main purpose of justice is the dissemination of proper virtues in society.
• He divided the four main virtues (wisdom, courage, temperance, justice) among different classes of society.

Influence of Plato and Socrates

• Socrates was Plato's teacher.
• Socrates' trial and death greatly influenced Plato.
• Plato criticized democracy and described tyranny as the natural outcome of democracy.

Important Quote

• "The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." - A.N. Whitehead

Impact of Plato's Ideology

• Plato has had a great influence on the European philosophical tradition.
• His ideas are still considered the foundation of Western philosophy.

Note: For more information, you can read the book "Lectures on the Republic of Plato."

These notes provide a brief perspective on Plato's life, philosophy, and views on justice. Please note that this is only a brief sketch; read source material for deeper study.