Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- Plato 427?-347? B.C. Greek philosopher. A follower of Socrates, he presented his ideas through dramatic dialogues, in the most celebrated of which (The Republic) the interlocutors advocate a utopian society ruled by philosophers trained in Platonic metaphysics. He taught and wrote for much of his life at the Academy, which he founded near Athens in 386.
Wiktionary
- n. Greek philosopher, 427-347 BC, follower of Socrates.
- n. A male given name.
WordNet 3.0
- n. ancient Athenian philosopher; pupil of Socrates; teacher of Aristotle (428-347 BC)
Etymologies
- Via Latin, from Ancient Greek Πλάτων (Platōn), from πλατύς (platus, "broad, wide"), either because of Plato's robust body, or wide forehead or the breadth of his eloquence. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Socrates is similar to Plato by the very fact that Socrates is white and Plato is white ¦ Yet, despite this, the intellect can express these many absolute things by means of concepts in diverse ways: in one way, by means of an absolute concept, as when one says simply ˜Socrates is white™ or ˜Plato is white™; in a second way, by means of a relative concept, as when one says ˜Socrates is similar to Plato with respect to whiteness™.”
“Though the greater part of Plato is entirely consonant with Socratic irony and skepticism.”
“That human faculty for discovering the truth was called synderesis by St. Paul, a term found also in Plato's Timaeus.”
“One solution, that might be traced to the expression "philosopher-king" associated with Plato, is to hand the reins of government to the best and the brightest.”
Milton Friedman Day, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty
“Judged solely in terms of his philosophical influence, only Plato is his peer: Aristotle's works shaped centuries of philosophy from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance, and even today continue to be studied with keen, non-antiquarian interest.”
“Is it only a shadow, like the shadows in Plato's cave?”
The Guardian: Poem of the week: What mystery pervades a well! by Emily Dickinson
“Plato is definitely easier to understand than Aristotle – at least the one work by Aristotle that I read.”
“Plato is the funniest, best writer I ever read: and he lived 2500 years ago.”
“(I assume for the moment a Theory of Ideas in Plato, tho that is by no means uncontroversial.)”
“It can be found in Plato, and it was nicely articulated by the 18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume, who wrote, “I cannot compare the soul more properly to any thing than to a republic or commonwealth, in which the several members are united by the reciprocal ties of government and subordination.””
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘Plato’.
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EN - eloquence in public speaking
Key words from "The Training of a Public Speaker" by Grenville Kleiser (New York and London, 1920)
beget, imago, approbation, orator, peroration, Cicero, eloquence, elocution, rhetoric, premeditate, plead, Isocrates and 264 more...
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Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder
Being a list of words and phrases from Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology, by Lawrence Weschler.
wonder, spore, Madalena Delani, ant, rampant, obliscence, Korsakov's syndrome, memory, illusion, time, Cone of Obliscence, Plane of Experience and 95 more...
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Systems of Survival
Words from the book by Jane Jacobs.
Jane Jacobs, Systems of Survival, system, survival, Ralph Waldo Emerson, morals, values, territories, trade, working life, loyal, honest and 123 more...
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Things I adore
words, linguistics, etymology, philosophy, literature, research, poetry, science, cognition, solitude, nihilism, zen and 139 more...
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