Jan. 24 : International Day of Education & Plato

On International Day of Education, we remember Plato, who founded Plato’s Academy, the first institution of higher learning, in 387 BC. Plato, who was the student of Socrates, had a huge impact on the development of education, and while he was surpassed by his student Aristotle, it was Plato that set him up for success. Watch this video to learn more about Plato and his Academy:

Plato’s Academy

Plato’s Academy was founded in Athens, Greece, around 387 BC by the philosopher Plato. The Academy was one of the earliest higher learning institutions in Europe and functioned as a place for dedicated research into scientific and philosophical questions. The school was located in an area that was a grove or garden of olive trees that included statues and nearby buildings. The Academy was initially established to teach Plato’s philosophical understanding, but it also challenged its scholars to develop a new understanding of our universe. This makes it one of the first known institutions that dedicated itself to fundamental discovery about our universe.

The Academy was not like a university where people would enroll and obtain advanced degrees, but it functioned as one of the first places for dedicated research into scientific and philosophical questions. The subjects focused upon were mathematics, natural science, astronomy, dialectics, philosophy, and politics. Plato initially gave many of the lectures and seminars, where he would also field questions from his select audience of scholars. Plato was joined by other well-known philosophers at the academy, including Aristotle before he founded his own Academy after he had a falling out with Plato’s philosophies.

The Academy was a place where dedicated scholars would meet, discuss, and lecture about the nature of the universe. Plato believed that knowledge was not attained by only contemplation but through discussion, teaching, and research. The Academy’s idea was to have an institution where dedicated scholars would meet, discuss, and lecture about the nature of the universe. Plato believed that knowledge was not attained by only contemplation but through discussion, teaching, and research. The Academy was initially established to teach Plato’s philosophical understanding, but it also challenged its scholars to develop a new understanding of our universe. This makes it one of the first known institutions that dedicated itself to fundamental discovery about our universe.

Plato Academy Florida

In Florida there is a network of schools called Plato Academy, which are a very unique idea in the US in terms of how they structure their curriculum. The logo at the top of this page is from their schools. You can find out more about them on their website : Plato Academy. The video below is from their YouTube Channel:

Some books about Plato you might enjoy:

To follow up on Plato’s Academy, learn about his greatest student, Aristotle, who studied with Plato for 20 years before going on to found his Lyceum.