Editing Plato (section)

== Legacy ==
===Medieval era===
During the Islamic Golden ages, Neoplatonism was revived from its founding father, Plotinus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Willinsky |first=John |title=The Intellectual Properties of Learning: A Prehistory from Saint Jerome to John Locke |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-0226487922 |edition=1st |location=Chicago |publication-date=2 January 2018 |pages=Chapter 6}}</ref> Neoplatonism, a philosophical current that permeated Islamic scholarship, accentuated one facet of the Qur’anic conception of God—the transcendent—while seemingly neglecting another—the creative. This philosophical tradition, introduced by [[Al-Farabi]] and subsequently elaborated upon by figures such as [[Avicenna]], postulated that all phenomena emanated from the divine source.{{sfn|Aminrazavi|2021}} It functioned as a conduit, bridging the transcendental nature of the divine with the tangible reality of creation. In the Islamic context, Neoplatonism facilitated the integration of Platonic philosophy with mystical Islamic thought, fostering a synthesis of ancient philosophical wisdom and religious insight.{{sfn|Aminrazavi|2021}} Inspired by Plato's Republic, Al-Farabi extended his inquiry beyond mere political theory, proposing an ideal city governed by [[Philosopher king|philosopher-kings]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stefaniuk |first=Tomasz |date=5 December 2022 |title=Man in Early Islamic Philosophy – Al-Kindi and Al-Farabi |journal=Ruch Filozoficzny |volume=78 |issue=3 |pages=65–84 |doi=10.12775/RF.2022.023 |issn=2545-3173|doi-access=free }}</ref> Plato is also referenced by Jewish philosopher and Talmudic scholar [[Maimonides]] in his ''[[Guide for the Perplexed]]''.

Many of these commentaries on Plato were translated from Arabic into Latin, in which form they influenced medieval scholastics.{{sfn|Burrell|1998}}{{sfn|Hasse|2002|pp=33–45}} Plato's thought is often compared with that of his most famous student, [[Aristotle]], whose reputation during the Western [[Middle Ages]] so completely eclipsed that of Plato that the [[Scholasticism|Scholastic]] philosophers referred to Aristotle as "the Philosopher". The only Platonic work known to western scholarship was ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'', until translations into Latin were made beginning in the 12th century. However, the study of Plato continued in the [[Byzantine Empire]], [[Islamic Golden Age|the Caliphates during the Islamic Golden Age]], and [[Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain|Spain during the Golden age of Jewish culture]].

===Modern===
{{see also|Transmission of the Greek Classics}}
[[File:Sanzio 01 Plato Aristotle.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[The School of Athens]]'' [[fresco]] by [[Raphael]] features Plato (left) also as a central figure, holding his ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' while he gestures to the heavens. Aristotle (right) gestures to the earth while holding a copy of his ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]'' in his hand.]] During the [[Renaissance]], [[Gemistos Plethon]] brought Plato's original writings to Florence from Constantinople in the century of its fall. Many of the greatest early modern scientists and artists who broke with [[Scholasticism]], with the support of the Plato-inspired [[Lorenzo de' Medici|Lorenzo]] (grandson of Cosimo), saw Plato's philosophy as the basis for progress in the arts and sciences. The 17th century [[Cambridge Platonists]] sought to reconcile Plato's more problematic beliefs, such as [[metempsychosis]] and [[polyamory]], with Christianity.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Carrigan |first=Henry L. Jr. |title=Cambridge Platonists |year=2012 |orig-date=2011 |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization |location=[[Chichester, West Sussex]] |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |doi=10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc0219 |isbn=978-1405157629}}</ref> By the 19th century, Plato's reputation was restored, and at least on par with Aristotle's. Plato's influence has been especially strong in mathematics and the sciences. Plato's resurgence further inspired some of the greatest advances in logic since Aristotle, primarily through [[Gottlob Frege]]. [[Albert Einstein]] suggested that the scientist who takes philosophy seriously would have to avoid systematization and take on many different roles, and possibly appear as a Platonist or Pythagorean, in that such a one would have "the viewpoint of logical simplicity as an indispensable and effective tool of his research."{{sfn|Einstein|1949|pp=683–684}} British philosopher [[Alfred North Whitehead]] said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of [[Note (typography)|footnotes]] to Plato."{{sfn|Whitehead|1978|p=39}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=A.N Whitehead on Plato |url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/whitehead-plato |access-date= |website=Columbia College |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029153617/https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/whitehead-plato |url-status=live }}</ref> Adapting examples from Plato's ''[[Theaetetus (dialogue)|Theaetetus]]'', [[Edmund Gettier]] famously demonstrated the [[Gettier problem]] for the "justified true belief account" of knowledge, challenging the prevelant notion in Analytic philosophy at the time that had been popularized by [[A. J. Ayer]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gettier |first1=E. L. |title=Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? |journal=Analysis |date=1 June 1963 |volume=23 |issue=6 |pages=121–123 |doi=10.1093/analys/23.6.121}}</ref>