Plato: Greek 429-355 B.C., studied in Egypt and elsewhere, pupil of Socrates, fellow student of Euclid, follower of Pythagoras. His contribution to Astrology was setting the problem of representing courses of the planets by circular and uniform motions.

 

Related Words

Plato: Greek 429-355 B.C., studied in Egypt and elsewhere, pupil of Socrates, fellow student of Euclid, follower of Pythagoras. His contribution to Astrology was setting the problem of representing . . . View Full Definition

Platonic Form: The ideas, images, or patterns of which physical reality is but an imperfect or transitory symbol or expression. See discussion under Platonic.

Platonic: In common usage, people often use the word 'platonic' to mean 'intellectual rather than physical.' Thus, a Platonic love-affair is one in which the couple is attracted to each other for ment . . . View Full Definition

Socratic Dialogue: An attempt to explore a philosophical problem by presenting a series of speakers who argue about an issue and ask each other questions. These various individuals hash out their ideas, accept . . . View Full Definition

Symposium: An after-dinner speech contest or informal debate. Such spontaneous talks were popular in classical Athens as evening entertainment. Probably the most famous is that one depicted in Plato's . . . View Full Definition

Utopian Literature: The term utopia comes from a Greek pun. In Greek, eu + topos (good' + 'place') and ou + topos (no' + 'place') sound very similar. Thus, utopia at once suggests a perfect society and an impos . . . View Full Definition

Symbol: The derivatives market of Australia.

School: While common parlance uses the word school to refer to a specific institute of learning, literary scholars use this term to refer to groups of writers or poets who share similar styles, lite . . . View Full Definition

Dialogue: Speech among characters, which does not usually address the viewer. Also, a type of interview in which the voices of the interviewer and the interviewee are both heard, and both persons may . . . View Full Definition

Logocentrism: (lit. 'word-centered') Jacques Derrida's term for a tendency to privilege thinking based on a desire for absolute truth, which he associated with Western thought since Plato. He saw this ten . . . View Full Definition