21 May: Plato

Today is Greek Philosopher's Day, which celebrates Plato, Greek philosopher and author of The Republic and other books, born around 429 BC. Here are 10 things you might not know about Plato.

1. Plato wasn't his real name. His actual name was Aristocles, which means "well named". Plato was a nickname, meaning "broad". How he ended up with this nickname isn't known, but it may have been because he had a broad chest and shoulders, or it may have been down to the breadth of his wisdom.
2. He may well have had a broad chest and shoulders, as he was a wrestler, and may even have competed at the Isthmian games. He also served as a soldier during the war with Sparta.
3. We don't know much about his early life. According to tradition rather than documented evidence, Plato's father Ariston was descended from the king of Athens, Codrus, and the king of Messenia, Melanthus, and his mother was Perictione, a relative of one of the seven sages. He was probably born in Athens. His father died when he was a child and his mother got married again to a politician called Pyrilampes.
4. There's a legend that says when Plato was a baby, Bees came and settled on his Lips, foretelling the sweetness of his words in the future.
5. He was a student of Socrates, and was, in fact, one of the youths Socrates was accused of corrupting. Socrates left no written works of his own, so much of what we know about him comes from Plato's works.
6. After Socrates was forced to commit suicide, Plato left Athens for a time and went travelling for 12 years. He went to Italy, Sicily and Egypt, and studied with other great philosophers, including Pythagoras.
7. He returned to Athens when he was about forty and founded what is probably the first university in the world. He named it the Academy, possibly after the Greek hero Academus, or possibly after the former owner of the land who was also called Academus. Lectures took place in the open air. One of its most famous students was Aristotle.
8. Plato's writing is in the form of letters or dialogues. Thirty-five dialogues and thirteen letters are ascribed to him.
9. Some of his beliefs are as follows: the soul is immortal and there is an afterlife; the best thing to do with romantic desire is to turn it into friendship and "truth seeking" (this is where we get the idea of Platonic love from); wisdom is less a matter of learning things than remembering what the soul already knows; and that the flute was an undignified instrument which should be banned in most societies in favour of the lyre. He may even have predicted television and computers in this quotation: "Someday, in the distant future, our grand-children's grand-children will develop a new equivalent of our classrooms. They will spend many hours in front of boxes with fires glowing within. May they have the wisdom to know the difference between light and knowledge."
10. Again according to legend, Plato died on his birthday at the age of either 81, 82 or 84. Some accounts say he died at a wedding feast, others say he died in bed. In spite of his apparent dislike of the flute, one story of his death recounts that he asked a young girl to play the flute for him as he lay dying.

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

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Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two