“The safest general characterization of the European tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.” - Alfred North Whitehead
The ancient Athenian philosopher Plato is perhaps the greatest philosopher in history. More than one eminent scholar claims that the entire course of Western philosophy has been a development of efforts to understand Plato. What is the reason for Plato's ongoing and profound influence?
Virtually nothing is known of Plato's life; there are many ancient sources of information, but these accounts were composed long after Plato's death. Moreover, there are contradictions between them and other indications of their unreliability. As a result, …
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Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Plato". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 October 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3580, accessed 22 November 2024.]
