Essays on Plato

By Dr Neel Burton — Psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine writer; Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford; author of over twenty books.

The mystical physician said the soul was treated with certain charms, my dear Charmides, and that these charms were beautiful words. —Plato, Charmides

Plato is the most subtle writer who ever lived. More than 2,300 years after his death, his dialogues continue to shape our thinking about truth, justice, love, knowledge, and the good life.

Once you have seen by the sun of his mind, there can be no going back.

This page brings together my essays on the Divine Teacher.

Plato in His World

A Life in Ideas: Plato — The Remarkable Life of the Man Who Wired Your Mind

Why Socrates Chose to Die — Plato’s Apology: Why the Father of Philosophy Refused to Save His Own Life

The Sophists: Philosophy’s First Great Crisis — How the Sophists Forced Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to Rethink Truth

How the Ancient Greeks Invented the Art of Persuasion — Exploring the Origins of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece

Was Plato a Hindu? — The Uncanny Parallels Between Plato and the Upanishads

The Mind

The Problem with Critical Thinking — Why Are People No Wiser Than Before?

Why Do Clever People Fall for Bad Arguments? — How Logical Fallacies Exploit Human Nature

The Limits of Teaching — Can the Highest Forms of Human Excellence Be Taught?

The Psychology and Philosophy of Wisdom — Ever Met a Clever Fool? Why Intelligence Alone Is Not Enough

How the Western Mind Nearly Took an Eastern Turn — The Surprising Affinities Between Greek and Indian Philosophy

The World

The Euthyphro Dilemma: Who Decides What Good Means? — Plato’s Euthyphro, the Euthyphro Dilemma, and Why They’ll Never Leave You

What If We’ve Got Happiness Wrong? —Why Eudaimonia Is Better Than Happiness

The True Meaning of Platonic Love — Plato’s Remarkable Vision of Love

Inside a Tyrant’s Mind — Why the Tyrant Is the Unhappiest of People

Plato’s Images

Plato’s Theory of the Forms Explained

Plato’s Sun, Line, and Cave Explained

The Myth of Er: Plato’s Most Beautiful Myth

Plato’s Myth of the Metals (The Noble Lie) Explained

Plato’s Myth of Aristophanes and Its Meaning

Continue Exploring

Explore more subjects in the Index Scriptorum.

See the Bigger Picture