Description: The great Athenian philosopher Plato was born in 427 BC and lived to be eighty. Acknowledged masterpieces among his works are the Symposium, which explores love in its many aspects, from physical desire to pursuit of the beautiful and the good, and the Republic, which concerns righteousness and also treats education, gender, society, and slavery.
Brief description: Chris Emlyn-Jones is Emeritus Professor of Classical Studies, The Open University, United Kingdom.