Intro

Hello and welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans, your Mnemonic Man, and today's episode will be on the Greek philosopher Plato, one of the big three philosophers of ancient Greece, that also included Socrates and Aristotle.

And if you want to check out the episode we already have on Socrates, that is back on episode 142.

Plato is believed to have been born around 428 to 427 BC in Athens, Greece. He was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. Following Socrates execution, to which Plato was not present due to illness, Plato travelled extensively learning from a range of cultures. On his return, he founded the first institution of higher learning in the Western world, Plato’s, or the Platonic Academy.

Plato’s writings are primarily dialogues, which means that they are written in the form of conversations, often featuring Socrates as the main speaker.

Some of Plato’s most famous works include:

· The Republic, which explores the concept of justice and the ideal society

· The Symposium, which examines love and desire

· And, Apology, which recounts Socrates defence at his trial

Central to Plato’s philosophy is the Theory of Forms, where he posits that the physical world we perceive is not the ultimate reality, but rather a world of imperfect copies of perfect external and unchanging forms that exist in a separate realm.

Plato also believed that the soul had three parts and was immortal and existed separately from the body, which he believed to be a temporary vessel.

He believed that true knowledge comes through philosophical reasoning, while other aspects of his work included ethics, politics, metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, and education.

Today’s mnemonic will be on Plato’s top five quotes.

So, with no further ado, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plato_Silanion_Musei_Capitolini_MC1377.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Plato (/ˈpleɪtoʊ/ PLAY-toe; Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn; born c. 428–423 BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms.

He influenced all the major areas of theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.

Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which aims to solve what is now known as the problem of universals. He was influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.

Along with his teacher Socrates, and his student Aristotle, Plato is a central figure in the history of Western philosophy. Plato's complete works are believed to have survived for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries.[1]

Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages.[2] Through Neoplatonism, he also influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy.

In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."[3]

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plato_and_Aristotle.png

Mnemonic

Plato – Top 5 Quotes – WITTT (gem)

(Picture Plato showing off his wit and wisdom with his many insightful quotes)

1. Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something

2. Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil

3. The greatest wealth is to live content with little

4. The empty vessel makes the loudest sound

5. The measure of a man is what he does with power

Five Fun Facts

1. Plato was not Plato’s real name. Plato was born with the name Aristocles but earned the nickname Plato, which in Greek means broad. The possible reasons for this nickname could be one or a combination of the following:

· He had a naturally broad physique

· The breadth of his wrestling style

· And the breadth of his forehead

2. Coming from a noble Athenian family, Plato initially considered a career in politics. However, the corruption he saw and in particular the trial and execution of his mentor, Socrates, turned him away from public life and towards philosophy. His disappointment in Athenian democracy deeply influenced his political writings.

3. Around 387 BCE, Plato established the Academy in Athens, which is considered to be the Western world’s first institution of higher learning. Known as Plato’s Academy or the Platonic Academy, it lasted for centuries and influenced many great thinkers, among them his most famous student, Aristotle.

4. Plato was heavily influenced by his teacher Socrates and also drew inspiration from earlier thinkers like Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides. Almost all his writings, which are mostly dialogues, feature Socrates and have survived through copies made over centuries.

5. Plato believed the soul was divided into three parts, which are:

· Reason: The part that seeks truth and wisdom

· Spirit: The part that handles emotions

· And, Appetite: The part that is responsible for basic desires and pleasures

He believed that the soul was immortal and would be reborn into another body after death, and that reason should guide the spirit and also control the appetite.