Plato
He called his school an academy. Students studied astronomy, biology, political mathematics, and philosophy at the school. Plato was the first thinker to dwell in ancient Greece. He asked questions that no one had ever asked before. He also tried to explain how the human brain works.
Plato wrote down the debates that he thought were happening between teachers and students. He hoped that these discussions would help the students to understand his views Plato has investigated many topics from friendship to heaven. But his most important work was to learn the basics. Plato believed that we could learn about the world in two different ways. We get useful information about our senses, such as sight and touch. But we come to the truth by means of a higher power, which he called reasoning. Plato said that our senses give us incomplete information, as it tells us about things. But our reason gives us truth, or perfect knowledge, because it tells us about ideas.
Plato also studied politics and government. He believed that the best government was the one with a leading philosopher. The minds of philosophers are trained to use logic and reason. According to Plato, knowledge gained in this way can help them to gain more control and create better conditions for their subjects. After many years in college Plato wanted to test his beliefs, in 367 BC, he went to Syracuse on the island of Sicily, off the coast of Italy, and went there to teach the new ruler of Syracuse to become a philosopher. But he failed in that attempt. Plato returned to Athens to write and read. He died at the age of 80 in 347 BC.
