Plato Biography

Plato was born into a aristocratic family in around c. 428-427 B.C.  His father, Ariston, died sometime in Plato's early childhood for unknown reasons.  Ariston had traced his descendant from the king of Athens, King Codrus.    Plato was a philosopher,mathematician, and writer.  Because of his rich and informative background, Plato received the best education of the time.  He was a very smart student and was very bright.    After his amazing education, his first mentor was man named Craytlus who he was supposedly not too fond of.    He was the student of Socrates who helped him create the future foundations of western government.  Socrates referred to him as being his most committed follower.  During the Peloponnesian War Plato served in the military service for a few years then left to continue his efforts of a political career.  After the war ended his attempt of going into politics was corrupted by the new government and the execution of his mentor Socrates.   After Socrates died, Plato traveled to italy and Egypt to continue his studies.  Eventually he returned to athens and created his own school to enforce his own teachings.  For students enrolled there, Plato tried both to pass on the heritage of a Socratic style of thinking and to guide their progress through abstract philosophical truth.  His main intention of running the academy was because of his earlier intentions of becoming a politician.  He wanted to train young men to become good statesman.  However, having given them the ideas that Plato believed in, Plato thought that these men would improve the political leadership of all of greece.  Plato then died in c. 347 B.C. in Athens, Greece.