Plato (428-348 or 347)

Greek philosopher. A disciple of Socrates, he created at Athens the Academy, where he taught whilst writing and publishing his dialogues in which tackled the great philosophical problems. Amongst his 28 works recognized as authentic The Republic stands out, devoted to the organization of the ideal city, as does The Banquet, a search into the nature of love. He devotes to courage a dialogue, The Laches, subtitled precisely ‘on courage.’ As for The Apology of Socrates, Phaedo and Crito, they describe the trial and death of his master. His thought is principally known for his concept of Forms or Ideas, abstract entities beyond time and space, pre-existing through the very fact of their ephemeral inscription into the daily life of human beings. An individual’s courageous act, for example, proceeds from the very essence of the universal and indestructible concept of courage.