What comes to mind when you hear the name Plato? Well you probably think Plato is just another bizarre name printed in our history books. If you are one of these people who thought Plato was just another weird name printed in the history book, or one of the few interested in knowing about Plato you should keep reading this paper. Plato was born around the year 428 BC in Athens into an established Athenian household with a rich history of political connections. Plato's parents were Ariston and Perictone, his older brothers were Adeimantus and Glaucon, and his younger sister was Potone. By keeping his family legacy, Plato was destined for the political life to make his family proud. But in the Peloponnesian War, which began a couple of years before he was born and continued until well after he was twenty, led to the decline of the Athenian Empire. The war was followed by a radical religious movement that led to the execution of Plato's mentor, Socrates (another great philosopher). After living through all of these horrific experiences his life got off the road of politics and into the highway of knowledge.
In what appears to be an issue of prejudice was responsible for bringing Socrates to trial in 399 B.C. on charges of corrupting the youth, introducing new gods into the city, atheism, and engaging in abnormal religious practices. During his trial Socrates explained that he had no interest to engage in politics, because a certain divine sign told him that he was to encourage a just and noble lifestyle within the young men of Athens. He did this by engaging in casual conversations with whomever he happened to meet on the streets. When Socrates told the court that if set free, he would not stop this practice, claiming that he must follow the voice of his god over the dictates of the state, the court found him guilty and he was executed one month later. This final sequence of events impacted Plato's life deeply, At this point of Plato's life Plato turned away from politics, because of his disappointment by democracy, and now evermore affected by the execution of Socrates.
