Skip to main content
Search type Search syntax
Tags [tag]
Exact "words here"
Author user:1234
user:me (yours)
Score score:3 (3+)
score:0 (none)
Answers answers:3 (3+)
answers:0 (none)
isaccepted:yes
hasaccepted:no
inquestion:1234
Views views:250
Code code:"if (foo != bar)"
Sections title:apples
body:"apples oranges"
URL url:"*.example.com"
Saves in:saves
Status closed:yes
duplicate:no
migrated:no
wiki:no
Types is:question
is:answer
Exclude -[tag]
-apples
For more details on advanced search visit our help page
Results tagged with
Search options answers only not deleted user 73

Plato (424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) was a Classical Greek philosopher, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Plato is considered to be the founder of Western philosophy.

7 votes
Accepted

What is the purpose of Plato's concept of Form?

What confuses matters these days is that Plato's student, Aristotle, disagreed with Plato about the existence of abstract ideas. … Even so, Plato has has a profound influence—especially when it comes to mathematics. …
Jon Ericson's user avatar
  • 7,465
4 votes

What function do myths serve in the Platonic dialogues?

In order to show that Socrates (or Plato himself) did not dishonor the existing cosmology, Plato reworked the existing images of the afterlife to fit with reincarnation. … But Plato, at least, was also interested in using myth to communicate truth. …
Jon Ericson's user avatar
  • 7,465
6 votes
Accepted

Seemingly invalid piece of reasoning in The Republic

In fact Socrates introduces the idea with this phrase: Then, my friend, justice cannot be a thing of much worth if it is useful only for things out of use and useless. (333e) It seems Plato (via Socrates …
Jon Ericson's user avatar
  • 7,465
10 votes
Accepted

What are the major differences between Nietzsche and Plato?

Not at all an answer to your question, but a personal opinion: Nietzsche (like Tolstoy and Pascal) seems far more a product of his time than Plato. … Meanwhile, both Plato and Aristotle, who come from opposite sides of the deductive/inductive spectrum, seem to hold up well from many people. I have no direct evidence for this assertion, however. …
Jon Ericson's user avatar
  • 7,465
3 votes

Are the unexamined lives of others worth examining?

This is a great question and I hope I won't be the only person to grapple with it. There must be a calculation that balances the pain and effort of examining another's life with the cost of not doing …
Jon Ericson's user avatar
  • 7,465