Exploring Athenian Education and Philosophical Divergence

In this episode, I talk to Robin Waterfield about the life and philosophy of the Greek philosopher, Plato. Robin is a British classicist who has translated many works of Plato, Xenophon, and other Greek writers. He is also the author of several books, including the recently-published Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy, the first full-length modern biography of Plato in English. Robin is also a member of our board of advisors for the Plato’s Academy Centre.

Highlights

* Why is Plato “super-important” today?

* The Socratic Problem — to what extent can we separate Socrates from Plato?

* How eclectic was the early Academy?

* How did Plato differ from the image of Socrates in his dialogues?

* The relationship between Plato and Pythagoreanism

* What advice would Plato give us about dealing with social media?

* Final question: “Why are we born to suffer and die?”

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Links

* Plato of Athens, Oxford University Press

* Robin Waterfield’s website

* Plato’s Academy Centre

* Plato's Academy Centre Newsletter

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