Plato

Plato is considered one of the greatest ancient Greek philosophers. In fact, he is responsible for inventing the language of philosophy as a discursive practice at a time when the meaning of “philosophy” was still in flux. Plato never defined philosophy directly and unambiguously; instead, he wrote dramatic dialogues that featured his intellectual hero, Socrates, as the main character. Plato's dialogues were written over the span of half a century (399-347 BCE). Debates continue about the development of Plato's thought and about differences between Socrates the character and Plato the author. Interpretation of Plato's dialogues is further complicated because of their dramatic nature and frequent use of humor and parody. Despite these reservations, it is safe to claim that Plato's dialogues critically engage discourses of his predecessors and contemporaries. Plato stages the conflict between philosophy and traditional arts of language in order to establish philosophical discourse as the only path to true knowledge and justice.