Ion: "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life"
By Plato
()
About this ebook
For someone whose influence has been so profound on Western thinking remarkably little is known of the Greek philosopher and thinker Plato. Due to the means and social status of his family Plato was most probably educated by some of Athens' finest teachers. The curriculum would have been rich and varied and include the doctrines of Cratylus and Pythagoras as well as Parmenides. Two major events shaped Plato’s life whilst he was a young man. The first was a meeting with the great philosopher Socrates. Socrates's methods of debate impressed Plato and he soon became a devoted follower. From here would flow Plato’s career as one of the finest minds civilization has produced. Major event number two was the on-going rivalry between Athens and Sparta which erupted into the Peloponnesian War. This was, in fact, several ‘stop-start’ wars fought during the period 431–404 BCE. Plato served in the cause of Athens and its Allies between 409 and 404 B.C.E. The comprehensive defeat of Athens by Sparta ended the Athenian democracy, although after a brief oligarchy it was restored. Plato traveled for a dozen years throughout the Mediterranean, studying mathematics with the Pythagoreans in Italy, as well as geometry, geology, astronomy and religion in Egypt. It was during this time that Plato began his writings, a remarkable number of which survive to this day. The writings themselves are usually classified into three distinct periods although there is some uncertainty as to the exact order in which they were written. Having now returned to Athens Plato embarked upon an extraordinary undertaking. In around 385 B.C.E., he established a school of learning, known as the Academy. The extensive curriculum included astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory and philosophy. Plato hoped that those who studied there would be future leaders who would be better equipped thorough its teachings to understand how to build a better government. Plato would preside over its teachings until his death in Athens around 348 B.C.E.
Plato
Plato (aprox. 424-327 BC), a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle, is commonly regarded as the centermost figure of Western philosophy. During the Classical period of Ancient Greece he was based in Athens where he founded his Academy and created the Platonist school of thought. His works are among the most influential in Western history, commanding interest and challenging readers of every era and background since they were composed.
Read more from Plato
Plato: The Complete Works: From the greatest Greek philosopher, known for The Republic, Symposium, Apology, Phaedrus, Laws, Crito, Phaedo, Timaeus, Meno, Euthyphro, Gorgias, Parmenides, Protagoras, Statesman and Critias Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Dialogues Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 1) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Five Dialogues (Translated by Benjamin Jowett) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Laws Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Days of Socrates Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Essential Plato: Apology, Symposium, and The Republic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Days of Socrates (Euthyphro, The Apology, Crito, Phaedo) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Dialogues of Plato Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTimaeus and Critias Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essential Dialogues of Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dialogues of Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trial and Death of Socrates: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings30+ Classic Philosophy Book Collection: The Art of War, Poetics, The Republic, The Meditations, The Prince and others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProtagoras and Meno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Ion
Related ebooks
Ion Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Essential Dialogues of Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Dialogues Of Plato Bearing On Poetic Inspiration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSophist: "Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment" Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Plato Collection 10+ Works: Early: Apology, Crito, Charmides, Middle: Republic, Symposium, Meno, Late: Critias and others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSymposium: "Life must be lived as play" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sophist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Apology: "If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Apology of Socrates Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLaws Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocratic Discourses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocrates Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Works of Plato Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson - Plato, or the philosopher Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApology (The Apology of Socrates) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLesser Hippias Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsParmenides: "Death is not the worst that can happen to men" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato (SparkNotes Philosophy Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMenexenus Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Poetics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Symposium (SparkNotes Philosophy Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSymposium Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Apology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhaedrus: "Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men" Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Parmenides Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Republic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Republic (Translated by Benjamin Jowett with an Introduction by Alexander Kerr) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cratylus [Halls of Wisdom] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters from a Stoic: All Three Volumes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The School of Life: An Emotional Education: An Emotional Education Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Ion
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Ion - Plato
Ion by Plato
Translated by Benjamin Jowett
For someone whose influence has been so profound on Western thinking remarkably little is known of the Greek philosopher and thinker Plato.
Due to the means and social status of his family Plato was most probably educated by some of Athens' finest teachers. The curriculum would have been rich and varied and include the doctrines of Cratylus and Pythagoras as well as Parmenides.
Two major events shaped Plato’s life whilst he was a young man. The first was a meeting with the great philosopher Socrates. Socrates's methods of debate impressed Plato and he soon became a devoted follower. From here would flow Plato’s career as one of the finest minds civilization has produced.
Major event number two was the on-going rivalry between Athens and Sparta which erupted into the Peloponnesian War. This was, in fact, several ‘stop-start’ wars fought during the period 431–404 BCE. Plato served in the cause of Athens and its Allies between 409 and 404 B.C.E. The comprehensive defeat of Athens by Sparta ended the Athenian democracy, although after a brief oligarchy it was restored.
Plato traveled for a dozen years throughout the Mediterranean, studying mathematics with the Pythagoreans in Italy, as well as geometry, geology, astronomy and religion in Egypt. It was during this time that Plato began his writings, a remarkable number of which survive to this day.
The writings themselves are usually classified into three distinct periods although there is some uncertainty as to the exact order in which they were written.
Having now returned to Athens Plato embarked upon an extraordinary undertaking. In around 385 B.C.E., he established a school of learning, known as the Academy. The extensive curriculum included astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory and philosophy. Plato hoped that those who studied there would be future leaders who would be better equipped thorough its teachings to understand how to build a better government. Plato would preside over its teachings until his death in Athens around 348 B.C.E.
Index of Contents
Introduction
Persons of the Dialogue
ION
Plato – A Short Biography
Plato – A Concise Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
The Ion is the shortest, or nearly the shortest, of all the writings which bear the name of Plato, and is not authenticated by any early external testimony. The grace and beauty of this little work supply the only, and perhaps a sufficient, proof of its genuineness. The plan is simple; the