“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?

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

3811 words

Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Plato". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 October 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3580, accessed 09 December 2024.]

3580 Plato 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.