Plato - Timaeus Free Audiobook Download

Author : Plato

Plato, originally named Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was a pivotal ancient Greek philosopher from the Classical period, renowned as a foundational figure in Western philosophy. He is celebrated for his innovative use of dialogue and dialectic methods, which shaped both theoretical and practical philosophy. As the founder of the Platonic Academy in Athens, he formulated the doctrines now known as Platonism, most notably his theory of forms, which addresses the problem of universals. His thought was significantly influenced by pre-Socratic philosophers such as Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, though much of our knowledge of them comes from Plato's writings. Together with Socrates and his student Aristotle, he stands as a central figure in the history of philosophy, with his works having endured intact for over 2,400 years. Plato's legacy continues to resonate through Neoplatonism and has profoundly shaped both Christian and Islamic thought, leading to the assertion by Alfred North Whitehead that the European philosophical tradition is largely a series of footnotes to his work.