Greek · -428–-348
Plato founded Western philosophy and created its most enduring literary form: the philosophical dialogue. A student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, he established the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. His dialogues—featuring Socrates questioning interlocutors about justice, beauty, knowledge, and the good life—combine rigorous argument with dramatic art. The Republic imagines an ideal city ruled by philosopher-kings; the Symposium explores the nature of love through speeches at a drinking party; the Phaedo presents Socrates' final hours. Alfred North Whitehead famously characterized all Western philosophy as footnotes to Plato.