Saturday, July 31, 2010

AS SEEN ON TV: PLATO

I'm about to retreat into vacation, which inspired me to choose Plato as the subject of today's "As Seen On TV" showcase. (Plato? Retreat? Get it? Nudge nudge wink wink!)

PLATO

AS SEEN IN:
'You Are There' :
"The Death Of Socrates"

AS PLAYED BY:
John Cassavetes

Plato (428/427 BC – 348/347 BC), was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Plato was originally a student of Socrates, and was as much influenced by his thinking as by his apparently unjust execution.

Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts.

Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, rhetoric and mathematics.

The first Tetralogy of dialogues by Plato, Socrates' student, has the trial and execution of Socrates as central theme: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo. Also Xenophon wrote the Apology of Socrates to the jury.

The death of Socrates, as presented by Plato, has inspired writers, artists and philosophers in the modern world, in a variety of ways.

(
from Wikipedia)



(seen here with Xenophon)

BCnU!

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