Plato was one of the most important classical Greek philosophers. He lived from 427 BC to 348 BC. A wealthy man, he owned at least 50 slaves and created the first university school, called "The Academy". Plato was a student of Socrates (who did not write) and the teacher of Aristotle, who founded another university, known as the Lyceum. Plato wrote about many ideas in philosophy that are still talked about today. He wrote about ideas of deductive reasoning. One modern philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, said that all philosophy since Plato has just been comments on his works.
Plato | one of the most important classical Greek philosophers
Complete editions and translations
Plato's works are still cited today according to the page and section numbers of the edition by Henricus Stephanus (Geneva 1578), the so-called Stephanus pagination.
Total editions without translation
- John Burnet (ed.): Platonis opera. 5 vols. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1900-1907 (critical edition; reprinted several times).
- Platonis opera. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995 ff. (authoritative critical edition; replaces Burnet's edition, but so far only volume 1 has appeared).
- Volume 1, ed. by Elizabeth A. Duke et al, 1995, ISBN 0-19-814569-1.
Translations (German)
Friedrich Schleiermacher's translation, which appeared in Berlin between 1804 and 1828 (3rd edition 1855), is still widely used in German-speaking countries today and is reprinted - sometimes in a somewhat altered form.
- Otto Apelt (ed.): Plato: Sämtliche Dialoge. 7 vols., Meiner, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-7873-1156-4 (without Greek texts; reprint of the Leipzig 1922-1923 edition).
- Gunther Eigler (ed.): Plato: Works in Eight Volumes. 6th, unchanged edition. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2010 (1st edition 1970-1983), ISBN 978-3-534-24059-3 (critical edition of the Greek texts; slightly edited translations by Schleiermacher).
- Plato: Jubiläumsausgabe sämtlicher Werke, introduced by Olof Gigon, transferred by Rudolf Rufener, 8 volumes, Artemis, Zurich/Munich 1974, ISBN 3-7608-3640-2 (without Greek texts).
- Ernst Heitsch, Carl Werner Müller, Kurt Sier (eds.): Plato: Werke. Translation and Commentary. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen from 1993 (without Greek texts; various translators; 22 volumes published so far).
- Helmut von den Steinen: Platonica I. Cleitophon, Theages. An introduction to Socrates. Edited by Torsten Israel. Queich-Verlag, Germersheim 2012, ISBN 978-3-939207-12-2 (metrically formed, scenically designed artistic transmission; further volumes not yet published).
Translations (Latin, medieval)
- Plato Latinus, ed. Raymond Klibansky, 4 vols. London 1940-1962 (vol. 1: Meno, interprete Henrico Aristippo; vol. 2: Phaedo, interprete Henrico Aristippo; vol. 3: Parmenides ... nec non Procli commentarium in Parmenidem, interprete Guillelmo de Moerbeka; vol. 4: Timaeus a Calcidio translatus commentarioque instructus).
Questions and Answers
Q: Who was Plato?
A: Plato was one of the most important classical Greek philosophers who lived from 427 BC to 348 BC.
Q: How wealthy was Plato?
A: Plato was a wealthy man, owning at least 50 slaves.
Q: What did Plato create?
A: Plato created the first university school, called "The Academy".
Q: Who was Socrates and what is his relation to Plato?
A: Socrates was a student of Plato (who did not write) and the teacher of Aristotle.
Q: What did Alfred North Whitehead say about philosophy since Plato?
A: Alfred North Whitehead said that all philosophy since Plato has just been comments on his works.
Q: What ideas in philosophy did Plato write about? A: Plato wrote about many ideas in philosophy such as deductive reasoning which are still talked about today.
Q: What university did Aristotle found? A: Aristotle founded another university known as the Lyceum.