PLATO

Born 428 - 427B.C. and died 348 - 347. B.C.

Athenian philosopher, a follower of Socrates.

He travelled widely after the death of Socrates before returning to Athens in the year

387 B.C.to found his Academy, in order to train a new ruling class.

Typical of his works, in a dialogue form which often makes Socrates a pariticipant, are

the Phaedo on the immortality of the soul, and the Republic outlining an ideal state.

He maintained that mind, not matter, is fundamental, and that material objects are

merely imperfect copies of abstract and 'ideas'; hence he rejected experiment as a

scientific method in favour of argument.

Plato, like Spinoza, believed that knowledge was necessary for salvation,

and like Spinoza he believed that it was also sufficient.

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