Plato (c. 428–c. 348 BCE)

Early Years

Plato was born in 428/427 BCE to one of the most distinguished political families in Athens. The family of his father, Ariston, extended back to the old kings of Athens and, according to myth, to the god Poseidon. Plato's father died when he was young and his mother married her uncle Pyrilampes, who was a key political figure in Athens. Less is known about Plato's mother Perictione's side of the family; however, her family appears to be equally distinguished. Plato's maternal grandfather, Dropides, was archon (chief magistrate) of Athens in 644 BCE and a close friend of the great lawmaker Solon. Plato's family grew up under the traditions of Solon, which emphasized public service. While Plato believed that philosophers' greatest happiness came from a serene life contemplating truth, he said that philosophers had an obligation to sacrifice this reclusive life to serve others as statesmen or legislators. It is likely that Plato, like all young men in his time, served in the military, but he never held a political position in Athens. Plato lived to be eighty-one; he never married. He died in 348/347 BCE.

Plato was strongly influenced by Socrates, who had met Plato's maternal uncle Charmides when Plato was a child of three. Plato probably became a good friend of Socrates when he was in his teens; he was about thirty-one when Socrates was executed. After the execution, Plato journeyed to the nearby city of Megara and then to Egypt, Italy, Cyrene, and Sicily. When he returned to Athens from his travels, he started his school of philosophy, the Academy. While the exact year is uncertain, historians assume that Plato was in his forties at the time. The school brought together some of the great scientists and scholars of the day; the philosopher Aristotle was a student at the Academy.

Plato's Insights into Leadership

Plato's most important insights into leadership are in the Republic, the Statesman, and to some extent, the Laws. His Letter VII is central to understanding how Plato's own experiences with leaders shaped his ideas about leadership.