Plato

Plato’s Intentions
Who was Plato? Unfortunately, there is lack of primary source information about Plato’s life from the time period in which he lived. Much of what we do know about Plato’s life has been gleaned from his writings, the writings of his contemporaries, and the works of classical historians. Based on this information we can get an idea of who Plato was, and construct a rough timeline of Plato's life.
Plato was born into the Greek aristocracy as the youngest son of Ariston and Perictione sometime between 428 - 423 BCE. Plato’s father died when he was a young boy. After His father's death his mother was remarried to her uncle, Pyrilampes. As an Athenian aristocrat Plato was no doubt well educated from a young age. As a young man he studied under Cratylus who was a student of Heracleitus, and later became a student of the Greek philosopher Socrates.
Through the years Plato was also exposed to Politics. Plato’s step father Pyrilampes was a Greek politician, and the Greek ambassador to Persia. It is thought that Plato may have briefly considered a career in politics himself, but ultimately never did become a politician. During his young life the government of his home, Athens, was a Democracy. However, governmental stability was not something that Athens enjoyed during Platos life time. Throughout his life Plato was part of a society divided on political and governance issues. The Peloponnesian War, fought between Athens and Sparta between 431- 404 BCE, in which Plato served for a time brought an end to democracy in Athens. The Spartans replaced Athens democracy with an oligarchy. The Period following this shift is known as the rule of the Thirty Tyrants. Two of Plato’s relatives, Charmides and Critias, were prominent figures in this new government of Athens. Plato himself is thought to have been involved in this movement as well, but was ultimately put off   by the violence that accompanied it. After a short time an armed citizen rebellion overthrew...