Plato (c.427-347 BC) stands with Socrates and Aristotle as one of the founders of the Western intellectual tradition. Inspired by Socrates' teaching, Plato sought a cure for the ills of society not in politics but in philosophy, and in the early fourth century BC he founded the Academy in Athens, the first permanent institution devoted to philosophical research and teaching. He wrote over twenty philosophical dialogues.

Plato (c.427-347 BC) stands with Socrates and Aristotle as one of the founders of the Western intellectual tradition. Inspired by Socrates' teaching, Plato sought a cure for the ills of society not in politics but in philosophy, and in the early fourth century BC he founded the Academy in Athens, the first permanent institution devoted to philosophical research and teaching. He wrote over twenty philosophical dialogues.

Plato (c.427-347 BC) stands with Socrates and Aristotle as one of the founders of the Western intellectual tradition. Inspired by Socrates' teaching, Plato sought a cure for the ills of society not in politics but in philosophy, and in the early fourth century BC he founded the Academy in Athens, the first permanent institution devoted to philosophical research and teaching. He wrote over twenty philosophical dialogues.