ABSTRACT
Plato is one of the founding fathers of Western philosophy and he has had a massive impact on religious and philosophical thought. He lived from around 427-347 BCE, spending most of his life in Athens. Plato founded the Academy in Athens and this institution has often been described as the first European university. Here people studied works in philosophy, politics, mathematics, theology and the sciences for nearly a thousand years. Plato founded the Academy in Athens and this institution has often been described as the first European university. Athens, seeking security and identity, returned to its old traditions. Only over time does he gradually grow used to it, first by perceiving the lights of the night sky, then the shadows of objects cast by the sun, and finally the objects themselves in broad daylight. At another level, however, the analogy of the cave is Plato's way of explaining the theory of the Forms.
