Though he generally avoided direct political engagement, Plato maintained a complicated relationship with the tyrants of Syracuse, attempting to train the tyrant Dionysus II to philosophically govern the state.
For this reason, sifting Socrates’ thoughts from Plato’s is a complicated task. While it is clear that these dialogues are at least partially meant to commemorate his mentor, it is equally clear that they served as vehicles for Plato to publicize and develop his own philosophy. While practicing and teaching philosophy, Plato wrote an extensive series of philosophical dialogues featuring his old teacher, Socrates. The institution became extremely influential, attracting many students, including Aristotle, who went on to enjoy illustrious careers.
Some years later, he founded the Academy, the first philosophical school of its kind, in Athens. Though initially inclined to take up a political career, he ultimately opted for philosophy, joining and participating in Socrates’ intellectual circle for roughly a decade until the latter’s execution. Plato was born to an aristocratic family in Athens in the violent era of the Peloponnesian War.
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