Philosophy meets biography in this deep dive into Robin Waterfield's new book on Plato. Michael and Caleb explore how the philosopher's life shaped his ideas, from witnessing tyranny and democracy's failures in his youth to his later failed attempt to reform a Sicilian tyrant.

Plato was an aristocrat who saw his relatives join the brutal Thirty Tyrants, watched democracy execute his mentor Socrates, and spent decades running a research academy that encouraged debate over dogma. His life and philosophy are worth understanding.

(00:05:50) Plato's aristocratic background in Athens

(00:06:30) The Thirty Tyrants and family connections

(00:08:20) Socrates' execution and its impact

(00:10:40) Key philosophical insights from political unrest

(00:13:00) The Sophists reconsidered

(00:19:20) Establishing the academy as research institution

(00:21:00) Early, middle, and later period writings

(00:27:20) Plato's caution about passive consumption

(00:30:20) Criticism of poetry as ancient television

(00:35:40) The religious dimension of Platonic philosophy

(00:39:50) Return to Syracuse and the philosopher king project

(00:47:40) Philosophy's ambitions beyond ivory tower

Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe