Plato

Plato was born in 427 B.C. in Athens. He was born to one of the oldest and most well known families in Athens. As a child, Plato lived with his mother, Perictione, and his father, Ariston. Originally Plato was given the name Aristocles, but it was later changed do to his wide shoulders. (source)


As Plato grew to be a young man he decided that he wanted to be a politician; but after the persecution of his mentor, Socrates, he discovered how heartless politics can be so he found out that he no longer wanted a place in government. (source)


After the death of Socrates, Plato left Athens and went to Megara, Crete, and Egypt. He came back home for a short visit in 395 B.C., but left soon after that and continued his journey. He found himself in Syracuse where he was sold into slavery. In order to buy back his freedom, he had to raise 3,000 drachmas through his friends. He returned back to Athens in 387 B.C. (source)


In 387 B.C. Plato returned home from travelling and set up an Academy. In the Academy they taught astronomy, biological science, mathematics, and political science. Legend tells us that his University was built on land owned by the Greek hero, Academus. We began saying academy because of the name Academus. (source I, source II)


Plato believed that there was another world beyond this one. He believed that it consisted of unchanging eternal forms. He thought that what we see and touch is related to the ultimate realities that now exist. “He gives, in his work the Republic2, the famous comparison of the human condition with that of prisoners chained facing the inner wall of a cave, so that all they can see are mere shadows of objects in the cave, knowing nothing of the world outside. An example of one of the ultimate realities is Euclidean geometry with its theorems concerning ideal objects that do not and cannot exist in the three dimensional world in which we live, ideal objects such as straight lines without thickness and perfect circles, and other such timeless objects. And just as there are no perfect circles in this world we can not have morally perfect men, no absolutely perfect examples of courage or justice; we can only imagine perfectly moral standards”. (source I, source II)

Book 1
Book 2