Plato's biography is drawn mainly from the work of other ancient writers and a few of what are presumed to be Plato's letters. He was born in Athens around 428 BC to an aristocratic family with a long and esteemed history of political leadership. According to an anecdote told by the Greek biographer Diogenes Laertius, Plato was originally named Aristocles. His wrestling coach, however, dubbed him "Platon" (meaning "broad") on account of his broad shoulders—shoulders that would one day bear the foundational weight of much of Western thought.
Plato's father Ariston descended from the early kings of Athens. His mother Perictione came from a similarly distinguished line that included the...
