Plato

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Plato's background, his works and contribution to Greek history and states that he was considered one of the most influential and prominent thinkers in the history of two millennia of Western philosophy. The paper reminds us that Platonists, Neoplatonists, and others have emerged, but Plato's influence is perhaps better judged in terms of the significance of the questions he has raised and the problem areas he has noted. The paper highlights that from philosophical points of view, Plato's dialogues are so well formed that even today they serve well as a student's first encounter with the philosophical practice of investigation and debate.

Outline:
Thesis Statement
Background
Historical Setting
Influence Of History
Plato's Profile
Life's Work
Influence of Plato's Work
Place in History
Significance
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Besides being born into an illustrious family, Plato was born into an illustrious city. He was born in the stir of Athens's Golden Age, the period that had witnessed Athens's surfacing as the strongest Greek power (particularly through its leadership in repelling the invasions of Greece by the Persians), the birth of classical Athenian architecture, drama, and arts, and a florescence of Athenian cultural, cerebral, and political life. By the time of Plato's formative years, however, the military and cultural flowers that had bloomed in Athens had already begun to fade. (Tarrant, 289) A few years before Plato's birth, Athens and Sparta--its rival for Greek supremacy--had affianced their forces and those of their allies in the Peloponnesian War. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Irwin, Terrence. Plato's Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. pg 34-93.
• Kraut, Richard, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1992. pg 121-129.
• Moravcsik, J. M. E. Plato and Platonism: Plato's Conception of Appearance and Reality in Ontology, Epistemology, and Ethics and Its Modern Echoes. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1992. pg 87-244.
• Sayers, Sean. Plato's "Republic": An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000. pg 78-91.
• Tarrant, Harold. Plato's First Interpreters. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2000. pg 289-311.

More papers on Plato:

• Research Paper # 97314 : "Plato and Imperialism"
• Analytical Essay # 135993 : "Women, Virtue and Power in Plato's "Republic"
• Analytical Essay # 145079 : "Plato and Political Organization"
• Analytical Essay # 141162 : "Plato's "City Of Words"

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