Life and teaching of Plato

Plato was born in Athens, into a moderately well-to-do aristocratic family. His father was named Ariston and his mother Perictione. One of Plato's ancestors, Glaucon, was one of the best-known members of the Athenian nobility. Plato's own real name was "Aristocles" however his nickname, Plato, originated from wrestling circles. Since Plato means "broad," it probably refers either to his physical appearance or to his wrestling stance or style.

Plato became a pupil of Socrates in his youth, and -- at least according to his personal account -- he attended his master's trial, though not his execution. Unlike Socrates, Plato wrote down his philosophical views and left a considerable number of manuscripts (see below). He was deeply affected by the city's treatment of Socrates and much of his early work records his memories of his teacher. It is suggested that much of his ethical writing is in pursuit of a society where similar injustices could not occur.

Plato was also deeply influenced by the Pythagoreans, whose notions of numerical harmony have clear echoes in Plato's notion of the Forms (sometimes thus capitalized; see below); by Anaxagoras, who taught Socrates and who held that the mind or reason pervades everything; and by Parmenides, who argued the unity of all things and was perhaps influential in Plato's conception of the Soul.

  1 -[Plato]
  2 -[Plato : Plato's school]
  3 -[Plato : Plato's Work]

- Alcibiade ou De la nature de l'homme.
- Apologie de Socrate.
- Axiochos ou De la mort.
- Charmide ou De la sagesse morale.
- Clitophon ou Dialogue exhortatif".
- Cratyle ou De la propriété des noms.
- Critias ou De l' Atlantide.
- Criton ou Du devoir.
- Des lois. ; 353.
- Démodocos ou De la délibération.
- Epinomis ou La réunion nocturne.
- Euthydème ou L'éristique.
- Euthyphron ou De la sainteté.
- Gorgias.
- Hipparque ou l'homme cupide.
- Hippias majeur ou Sur le beau.
- Hippias mineur ou Sur le mensonge.
- Ion.
- La république. ; 389.
- Lachès ou Sur le courage.
- Le banquet ou De l' amour. ; 384.
- Le politique.
- Le sophiste ou De l'être.
- Les amants ou De la philosophie.
- Lettres.
- Lysis ou Sur l' amitié.
- L'Alcyon ou De la métamorphose.
- Ménexène ou L'oraison funèbre.
- Ménon ou Sur la vertu.
- Minos ou De la loi.
- Parménide ou Des idées.
- Phédon ou De l' âme.
- Phèdre ou De la beauté.
- Philèbe ou Du plaisir.
- Protagoras ou Des sophistes.
- Second Alcibiade ou Sur la prière.
- Théagès ou Sur la science.
- Théétète ou Sur la science. ; 369.
- Timée ou De la nature.