Comparing Plato's Republic And Allegory Of The Cave

One of the most profound philosophers is Plato (427-347 BCE). Society knows of his works such as The Republic and Allegory of the Cave, but no one is truly familiar with his life unless they have studied him. To understand his works you must first understand his life and all that he experienced. I am going to open your eyes and educate you on the man who influenced western civilization. Together we will explore how he met his teacher, the Theory of Forms, almost being sold into slavery, founding the Academy, and how he lived on past death. The native Athenian known as Plato was born on May 21, 428 BCE and died on January 14, 348 BCE (Plato C). At the time of his birth, Athens was in turmoil because of the Thirty Tyrants. This fueled his parents desire for him to enter the field of politics. Plato however ran from his parents …show more content…
When visiting Southern Italy he met Archytas who was a philosopher and ruler of what is modern day Taranto, the two would soon become very good friends (Plato E). Archytas impressed Plato with his theories on Pythagoreanism. Pythagoreanism is the theories revolving around basic mathematical and astronomical principles. They also speak of the eternal recurrence of matters which supports the ideas of Plato and Socrates. Similar to that of rebirth, and the famous “ history repeats self ”, Archytas and Plato shared the same belief that knowledge is gained through the soul before it is reborn into the body. After his trip to Southern Italy, he journeyed to Syracuse and make the acquaintance of Dion and Dionysius I (Plato B). Dionysus I was the ruler of Syracuse and though he adored the philosopher, he was envious of his publicity which sparked their “close friendship”. He eventually tried to unsuccessfully sell Plato into the slavery of a state who was at war with Athens. Plato was freed thanks to the battering of a friend who had political