Plato was the son of a noble and wealthy family, and had planned to have a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates altered the course of his life. He threw out his political career and ventured into the realm of philosophy, opening a school in Athens dedicated to the Socratic search fore wisdom. The school, known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from 387 B.C. until 529 A.D., when Justinian shut it down.
In the Secret Doctrine we are told that Plato was not merely the greatest philosopher of Greece, but also an Adept who belonged physically, mentally, and spiritually to a higher plane of evolution (Cohen). He imparted spiritual truths through myths and allegories, which his aim was both to awaken the Manas and to arouse the Buddhi of his hearers. In our age today, Plato's myths have often been dismissed as poetic fantasies, and some people have suggested that they were used to cover up deficiencies in his chain of reasoning. Thus, his critics have not properly understood his philosophical system and political thought. .
Unlike Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings appear in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the main speaker. One of Plato's most publicly known myths is the parable with which the Seventh Book of the Republic opens. In this allegory of the cave Plato introduced us to the teaching that there is a truth beyond sense. Even to realize the distinction between the standpoint of the true seer and the delusions of most men is an important step forward from ignorance to truth. Our tragedy lies simply in our refusal to recognize that we live a condition of perpetual imprisonment, clinging tenaciously to the sights and sounds of earthly life, mistaking slavery for freedom and shadows for realities (Raghavan). .
Plato's allegory starts with a depiction of the pathetic condition of most of mankind.
