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People
Plato
Plato (c. 428/427–348/347 BCE) was a Greek philosopher, writer, and foundational figure in Western philosophy. A student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, Plato founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. His writings—mostly in the form of philosophical dialogues—explored ethics, politics, metaphysics, epistemology, art, and education. After the Trial of Socrates,
PeoplePlato
In response to the Sophists’ claim that values are relative and power serves private interest, Plato emphasied universal moral truths, arguing that justice depends on absolute standards of right and wrong and is secured only when political power is entrusted to philosopher-rulers capable of governing for the common good rather than personal gain.
PeopleAristotle
Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in Stagira, a Greek city on the Chalcidic peninsula of Macedonia. His father, Nicomachus, was a physician to King Amyntas III of Macedon, providing Aristotle with early exposure to medicine and natural philosophy. After his father’s death, Aristotle moved to Athens at age seventeen, where he became a student at Plato’s Academy. He remained there for two decades, deeply engaging with Plat
PeopleAverroes
Averroes, also known as Ibn Rushd, was a prominent Muslim philosopher and jurist in the medieval period. Born in Cordoba, Spain, in 1126, Averroes came from a distinguished family of jurists—both his grandfather and father served as a qadi (chief judge) in Seville and Cordoba. He was known for his expertise in various fields such as law, philosophy, theology, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and theology. Averroes i
PeopleBoethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 480 – 524/525 CE) was a Roman philosopher, government official, and Christian thinker who helped bridge the classical and medieval worlds. Born into the distinguished aristocratic family of the Anicii, Boethius received a classical education and became fluent in both Latin and Greek. He held high political office under Theodoric the Great, ruler of the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Ita
PeopleCicero
Cicero, full name Marcus Tullius Cicero, was a Roman statesman, orator, lawyer, writer, and philosopher who lived during the late Roman Republic. He is considered one of Rome’s greatest writers and speakers. He was born on January 3, 106 BCE, in Arpinum, Italy, and was executed on December 7, 43 BCE, in Formiae, Italy, by order of Mark Antony during the proscriptions following the assassination of Julius Caesar. Cice
PeopleCopernicus
A 16th-century portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, the Polish astronomer, depicted in profile with fur collar and cap, holding a compass and armillary sphere, symbolizing his heliocentric theory in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium that revolutionized cosmology.
PeopleErasmus
Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a Dutch scholar, writer, and priest who is known for his works that laid the foundation for the Protestant Reformation. Born in Rotterdam and orphaned young, he reluctantly became an Augustinian monk before obtaining permission to study abroad. As a wandering scholar, he lived across Europe, supporting himself through teaching, patronage, and his extraordinarily popular writings. Hi
PeopleEuclid
Euclid was a Greek mathematician active around 300 BCE, best known for authoring Elements , one of the most influential works in the history of mathematics. While biographical details are sparse, he is believed to have taught and conducted research at the Library of Alexandria. Euclid drew on earlier work by mathematicians like Eudoxus, Pythagoras, and Theaetetus, organizing their discoveries into a deductive system
PeopleHomer
Born/Died: He is believed to have lived during the 8th or 7th century BCE, possibly in Ionia (modern-day western Turkey). The details of Homer’s birth and life are unclear, both by contemporary and scholastic sources.
PeopleMaimonides
Maimonides, also known as Moses Ben Maimon, was a famous Jewish philosopher, theologian, physician, and influential Torah scholar in the Middle Ages. He was born in Cordoba, Spain, around 1135 AD, and died in Cairo, Egypt, in 1204. Maimonides is considered one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time, known for his vast contributions to philosophy, medicine, and Jewish law. In his time, he served as a personal phy
PeopleOrigen
• Built a Framework: Origen was the first to try creating a complete theological system. He asked big questions—about God, evil, salvation—and tried to answer them with logic and faith.
PeoplePlotinus
Plotinus was a Greek philosopher born in Roman Egypt, most likely in Lyco (modern Asyut) or Lycopolis. He is widely recognized as the founder of Neoplatonism, a philosophy that profoundly influenced late antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Plotinus began studying philosophy in Alexandria at age 28, becoming a devoted student of Ammonius Saccas for eleven years. He joined Emperor Gordian III’s Persian exp
PeopleSocrates
• Socrates’ emphasis on self-examination and the search for truth through dialogue laid the foundation for Western philosophy and influenced later thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle.
PeopleAugustine
Augustine (Aurelius Augustinus, 354–430 CE) was a North African theologian, philosopher, and bishop whose writings shaped Western Christianity and Latin thought. Born in Thagaste (present-day Souk Ahras, Algeria), Augustine received a classical education in rhetoric at Carthage, taught in Rome and Milan, and converted to Christianity in 386 under Ambrose’s influence. After returning to Africa, he became bishop of Hip
PeoplePaul
Paul was born into a Jewish family with Roman citizenship, a status that afforded him unique privileges and mobility throughout the empire. Deeply devoted to Jewish tradition, he initially saw the early Christian movement as a dangerous threat to Judaism. He actively sought to suppress it, participating in the persecution of Jesus’s followers.
PeoplePlutarch
Plutarch (Greek: Πλούταρχος, Latin: Plutarchus) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Born around 46 CE in Chaeronea, Boeotia (central Greece), he came from a prominent local family and received an education, studying philosophy, rhetoric, and ethics in Athens. Plutarch traveled widely, including at least one visit to Rome, where he me
PeopleSophocles
Master of Greek Tragedy : Sophocles, one of the three great ancient Greek tragedians, is celebrated for his innovative contributions to drama, including the introduction of a third actor and complex character development, as seen in works like Oedipus Rex and Antigone .
PeopleUpanishads
• Preservation of Cultural Heritage : Attributed to various sages and philosophers, the Upanishads comprise a profound body of work that emphasized spiritual wisdom, the unity of the individual soul with the universal consciousness, and ethical living, shaping Indian philosophy and religious thought.
Periods
Books & Works
Commentary on Plato’s Republic
Averroës, 1126–1198 · 1956 · Commentary on Plato’s Republic. Edited with introduction and notes by E. I. J. Rosenthal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1956.
Books & WorksA Platonic Discourse upon Love
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola · 1914 (Gardner ed.) · Edited by Edmund G. Gardner. Boston: Merrymount Press, 1914.
Books & WorksGorgias
Plato · 1952 (Helmbold trans.) · Translated with an introduction by W.C. Helmbold. Little Library of Liberal Arts.
Books & WorksPhaedo
Plato · 1951 (Church trans.) · Translated by F.J. Church with introduction by Fulton H. Anderson. Little Library of Liberal Arts.
Books & WorksPhaedo
Plato · 1952 (Hackforth trans.) · Translated with introduction and commentary by R. Hackforth. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 120.
Books & WorksPhaedo
Plato · 1955 (Bluck trans.) · Translated with introduction, notes and appendices by R.S. Bluck. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 110.
Books & WorksPhaedrus
Plato · 1952 (Hackforth trans.) · Translated with introduction and commentary by R. Hackforth. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 119.
Books & WorksProtagoras
Plato · 1956 (Ostwald / Vlastos) · Jowett’s translation revised by Martin Ostwald; edited with introduction by Gregory Vlastos. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 59.
Books & WorksStatesman
Plato · 1957 (Skemp / Ostwald) · Translated by J.B. Skemp; edited with introduction by Martin Ostwald. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 57.
Books & WorksThe Republic
Plato · 1944 (Jowett / Kredel) · Translated by Benjamin Jowett with woodcut medallions by Fritz Kredel. Heritage Press.
Resources
Gorgias
Plato · 1952 (Helmbold trans.) · Translated with an introduction by W.C. Helmbold. Little Library of Liberal Arts.
ResourcesPhaedo
Plato · 1955 (Bluck trans.) · Translated with introduction, notes and appendices by R.S. Bluck. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 110.
ResourcesPhaedrus
Plato · 1952 (Hackforth trans.) · Translated with introduction and commentary by R. Hackforth. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 119.
ResourcesProtagoras
Plato · 1956 (Ostwald / Vlastos) · Jowett’s translation revised by Martin Ostwald; edited with introduction by Gregory Vlastos. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 59.
ResourcesStatesman
Plato · 1957 (Skemp / Ostwald) · Translated by J.B. Skemp; edited with introduction by Martin Ostwald. Library of Liberal Arts, no. 57.
ResourcesThe Republic
Plato · 1944 (Jowett / Kredel) · Translated by Benjamin Jowett with woodcut medallions by Fritz Kredel. Heritage Press.