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==Style==
==Style==
Plato's works are different from the majority of philosophical works in style and structure. He wrote dialogs which combined elements of both Greek tragedy and philosophy. His works are conversational dramas filled with irony and 'hidden' content which only the experienced reader will recognize and understand. And he did not write explicit treatises, instead slowly and indirectly revealing his ideas over the course of dozens of dialogues written across the course of his life through the words of his characters.
Plato's works are different from the majority of philosophical works in style and structure. He wrote dialogs which combined elements of both Greek tragedy and philosophy. His works are conversational dramas filled with irony and 'hidden' content which only the experienced reader will recognize and understand. And he did not write explicit treatises, instead slowly and indirectly revealing his ideas over the course of dozens of dialogues written across the course of his life through the words of his characters.
==Plato's allegory of the cave==
[[Image:Plato bust.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Plato bust]]
Plato had his character Socrates present the myth of the cave in [[The Republic (Philosophy)|''The Republic'']]. The Plato's allegory of the cave explores the nature of reality, [[truth]], and [[knowledge]].
In this myth there are men chained in a cave, with a fire somewhere behind them casting light and shadows on the walls in front of them. They cannot turn their heads and may only gaze upon these shadows. The prisoners establish a primitive social order in which respect is granted to those who can correctly predict which shape the flames random gyrations will next be projected onto the wall. In the myth one of these prisoners is set free, and eventually finds his way out of the cave into the realm of the sun and truth. In Socrates' thought experiment of a myth this freed man is then forced to return to the cave, where he tries to tell his companions of the truth he has seen, which they can only understand as the ravings of a madman.
=== Articles and videos ===
Article:
*[https://philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/allegory-of-the-cave/ Allegory of the cave], University of Notre Dame
*[https://orionphilosophy.com/allegory-of-the-cave-summary-plato/ The Allegory of The Cave – Summary of Plato]
*[https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leading-out-cave-how-platos-allegory-relates-modern-leadership-tutel Leading Out of the Cave: How Plato's Allegory of the Cave Relates to Modern Leadership]
Video:
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbjmSS6LZDGrf5utDg89Nx2IFDdJ0wqkM Plato's Allegory of the Cave - video playlist], video playlist
==The Soul==
Plato had his characters take the existence of the human soul on faith, following the example of Socrates, who believed in the soul because a benevolent spirit spoke directly to his. In the ''[[Phaedo]]'' Socrates tells a myth where only as disembodied souls can we possess true knowledge of the Forms. The soul in a human body cannot obtain true knowledge due to the body's failings and distractions. However, by study of philosophy one can regain the path to the true knowledge of the Forms, and prepare oneself for the realm to come after death.
== Quotes ==
== Quotes ==
''Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in [[governments]].''
''Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in [[governments]].''
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
==List of Works==
==List of Works==