8 Mind-Blowing Fun Facts About Plato You Never Knew Before!

1. Nickname Origins

Whether sporting six-pack abs or spewing Socratic smackdowns, the man of many talents had a nickname that was all Greek to us: Plato was actually called "Platon," and ancient writer Diogenes Laertius claimed this name came from either his wrestling coach admiring his broad shoulders or others noting his broad forehead and eloquent speaking style.
Source => readinginterrupted.com

2. Cats & Geometry

Smitten with kittens and doting on geometry? Funny enough, those happen to be Plato's cup of tea too: This ancient philosopher used metaphors of light and geometry to explain the concept of Forms, comparing the unchanging triangle to the ever-constant Form of Catness among our feline friends.
Source => philosophy.stackexchange.com

Did you know? Aristotle, Plato's star student, not only founded his own school but also made groundbreaking observations on over 500 animal species! Discover more about this ancient intellectual icon.

=> Fun Facts about Aristotle

3. Athletic Philosopher

Before pumping iron became a craze, Plato was flexing his muscles in ancient Greece, making philosophical gains and swinging heavy mental kettlebells: As a lover of physical fitness, he trained under the renowned Argive wrestler Ariston and might have even competed in the Isthmian Games, while his writings often sport vivid athletic metaphors and imagery to illustrate his profound ideas.
Source => tandfonline.com

4. Plato's Reality Show

Who needs reality TV when you've got Plato's Real World of Forms? This philosopher's reality show was all about our senses being deceived by mere imitations of a grander, more perfect world: The theory of Forms. In this higher plane, The Beautiful Itself reigns supreme, accessible only through the pursuit of love, but as Plato warned, no hanky-panky! That's just a distraction from reaching our highest potential.
Source => iep.utm.edu

5. Ancient Game of Thrones

Who needs Game of Thrones when you've got the philosopher of philosophers, Plato: Descended from a long line of rulers and politicians, Plato ditched the drama of political life for the metaphysical musings, giving birth to groundbreaking thoughts on epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and more. A devoted fan of Socrates, he was inspired by his teacher's dedication to justice in a world of Athenian corruption. Going against his family, Plato left the political scene of Westeros, er Athens, and founded the crystalline academy that would inspire generations of thinkers and become the go-to spot for Hellenistic higher learning.
Source => iep.utm.edu

6. Plato's Feminist Tango

If there were a "Real Househusbands of Ancient Greece," Plato might just be a main character, stirring up some drama in his toga with his tango of a relationship with feminism: Despite making some less-than-respectable remarks about women in his work, Plato was among the first to advocate for their education and equal opportunity to become guardians and philosophers, making him an unexpected ancient ladies' man.
Source => lakeforest.edu

7. Featherless Biped Influences

When Plato wasn't busy playing with his imaginary friends (courtesy of the "Allegory of the Cave") or coining vintage pop culture sayings like "Man is a featherless biped": He was deeply shaped by the historical events and social turmoil of his time, including Sophists' attacks on truth, political instability, and foreign threats, ultimately creating new philosophical symbols to reshape the city and better express the human experience.
Source => voegelinview.com

8. Plato's Slavery Escape

Before Plato became a philosopher king, he had to endure quite the Greek tragedy: Sold into slavery after a failed political endeavor in Syracuse, he was thankfully sprung from his shackles by the Cyrenaic philosopher Anniceris who shelled out a cool twenty minas to send our toga-clad hero back to Athens.
Source => en.wikipedia.org