Plato - Parmenides: "Death is not the worst that can happen to men"

Plato's life was profoundly influenced by his education in Athens and his encounters with key figures like Socrates. His experience as a soldier during the Peloponnesian War and the subsequent defeat of Athens shaped his philosophical outlook. After years of travel and study across the Mediterranean, he returned to found the Academy around 385 B.C.E., aiming to cultivate future leaders through a diverse curriculum that included astronomy, biology, and political theory. His extensive writings, categorized into three periods, continue to impact Western thought.