Plato and The Renaissance Essay -- Philosophy

Plato (428-347 B.C.E.) is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. Though concerned with specific problems of his own era, Platos ideas transcend all time. Throughout the ages his works strike been translated into many languages and studied by great thinkers of every region of the world. A revival of Platonic thought occurred during the spiritual rebirth. Though Platos ideas have survived in their original forms, translators and commentators during Renaissance times often understood them in a very different way than intended.Platos ideas were ahead of their time, yet he was nevertheless clearly a reaping of Classical Greek culture. Many of his dialogues question beliefs of and praise the Greek gods. Political concerns revolved around political systems common in his day, and the distaste for democracy register in his Republic focuses specifically on the form of democracy present in Athens during that time.1 For his time, Platos work depic ts women in a very positive light, but it is still evident that the opinion of women as second straighten out citizens in ancient Greece influenced his opinion. Platos Republic allows for and expects woman to participate in his ideal ruling class of philosopher kings, but the language used to describe womens roles is nevertheless demeaning.2 In Platos Socratic dialogues, a plethora of examples representative of the age are used to explain and obtain claims, referencing recent wars, politicians in recent history, and Homeric poetry.Plato may have never become the world renowned philosopher that he is considered to be today if it had not been for Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.). Plato was Socrates nearly famous pupil, and Socrates was such an inspiration to him that... ...) 406-439. http//www.jstor.org/stable/10.1353/ren.2008.0331Kellermann, Frederick. Montaigne, Reader of Plato. Comparative Literature, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Autumn, 1956) 307-322. http//www.jstor.org/stable/1768763Lee, De smond, trans. The Republic, 2nd ed. New York Penguin Books, 1987.Oliver, Revilo P.. Plato and Salutati. Transactions and Proceedings of the American philological Association, Vol. 71, (1940) 315-334. http//www.jstor.org/stable/283132Schachter, Marc. Louis Le Roys Sympose de Platon and Three Other Renaissance Adaptions of Platonic Eros. Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Summer 2006) 406-439. http//www.jstor.org/stable/10.1353/ren.2008.0331Somfai, Anna. The Eleventh-Century Shift in the Reception of Platos Timaeus and Calcidiuss definition. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 65, (2002) 1-21