Why Plato Matters Now by Angie Hobbs Ancient philosophy for modern life
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Why Plato Matters Now (2025) explores the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. It shows that, from conversational skills to romantic relationships, there’s still a lot we can learn from the thinker, potentially improving not only our own lives, but society as a whole.
Think about the last argument you witnessed – at a family dinner, perhaps, or playing out endlessly on the news. Everyone was talking, no one was listening, and the goal seemed less about understanding than about winning.
Moments like these can leave us wondering whether social harmony is still possible. But this is nothing new. More than 2,000 years ago, Plato was grappling with a world that felt just as unstable and polarized as our own.
Living through war, plague, political extremism, and the death sentence of his teacher Socrates, Plato asked questions that still feel urgent. How should we live? What makes a society healthy? And how can people with deeply different views speak to one another without tearing everything apart?
Rather than offering simple answers, Plato wrote dialogues – living conversations filled with flawed characters, sharp disagreements, and moments of insight. Reading them can feel less like studying ancient philosophy, and more like listening in on an intense, thoughtful discussion that refuses to let easy assumptions stand.
This lesson invites you into that world. You’ll get to know Plato not just as a great thinker, but as someone deeply concerned with everyday life – the quality of our conversations, the balance of our inner lives, and the meaning of love and friendship.
Without preaching or providing tidy conclusions, Plato challenges us to slow down, think carefully, and examine our own beliefs. In an age of noise and stubborn opinions, that invitation feels surprisingly radical.
Before we get into Plato’s philosophy, let’s learn a little about the man himself.
Plato was born in Athens in the 5th century BCE. He came from a privileged family, but lived through turbulent times.
Politically, things were tense in Athens – civil war, plague, and hostility between different factions. Some people supported a democratic system, while others were in favor of an oligarchy. Plato’s family had links to both factions.
Instead of going into politics, as was usual for a man of his background, Plato chose philosophy. He became an associate of the great philosopher Socrates. After Socrates was sentenced to death, Plato left Athens. He spent years travelling, studying, and teaching.
Plato himself narrowly avoided a premature death. While in Sicily, he had a fractious relationship with the tyrannical leader, Dionysius I, and then Dionysius II, who forced Plato to stay in Syracuse against his will.
Thanks to the intervention of a friend, Plato finally managed to return to Athens, where he continued writing and teaching until his death.
Looking at Plato’s life, we can gain a better understanding of his philosophy. Firstly, we can see why he was so concerned about the dangers of tyranny, having dealt with a tyrant or two himself. And given the political turbulence that Plato lived through, it’s not surprising that he placed high value on civic harmony.
Another important influence was his relationship with his mentor. Plato was deeply influenced by the teachings of Socrates. In fact, Plato’s entire body of work might be seen as a defence of Socrates, and a critique of the society that condemned him to death.
That being said, analyzing Plato’s work and identifying his personal beliefs can be tricky. Is the character of Socrates the same as the historic Socrates? When we’re reading the dialogues, can we know for sure what Plato himself believed?
The author Angie Hobbs – a professor who specializes in ancient Greek philosophy – suggests a nuanced approach. According to Hobbs, the Socrates who appears in Plato’s dialogues is a fictional character. Nonetheless, we can assume that the views the character expresses are close to those of the real Socrates. Plato also uses the character of Socrates to explore his own interests, such as political theory and psychology.
Hobbs believes it’s possible to identify Plato’s own beliefs in his work. However, for Plato, it was important that even his most cherished beliefs were questioned and scrutinized.
Plato shared Socrates' interest in the big question – how should we live? In simple terms, Socrates believed that a good life was a flourishing and virtuous life.
We’ll be looking at these ideas in more depth later on. But for now, the key takeaway is this – Plato was interested in building on Socrates’ work, and understanding how to live. It’s one of those eternal questions, and one of the many reasons that Plato still matters now.
A central feature of Plato’s work is the dialogue form. It’s vivid and immersive, drawing the reader in. The dialogues invite us to actively reflect, so that we ourselves become philosophers, in a way. For Plato, this kind of active engagement was essential for philosophical progress.
In the dialogues, he explores the close connections between our characters, lives, and beliefs. The wide variety of characters – from the philosopher Socrates to the dissolute politician Alcibiades – also serve as models for reflection. Could this character be a role model? Or are they a warning?
Something Plato does brilliantly is illustrate how to engage in philosophical discussion. As we’ll see in a moment, these are lessons we can still learn from today.
For Plato, the first requirement is to simply show up – to be prepared to engage in an open, honest conversation. It’s not about winning the debate, but taking part in a rational dialogue. Plato believed that exercising reason was our duty – a task that had been divinely appointed to us. And what better way to exercise our reason than with an intelligent debate?
Importantly, the aim should be to persuade the other person – not bulldoze them into submission – in order to reach genuine agreement. Also, no topic is off-limits. We should be able to discuss everything openly.
Plato also gives us examples of how not to engage in dialogue – like through the characters of Callicles and Thrasymachus, who appear in the Gorgias and the Republic respectively. Callicles is hostile and contemptuous, while Thrasymachus is even more combative. As a result, both characters learn very little – if at all – from their discussions.
Still, for Plato, it was essential to at least try to engage with these kinds of people. And if they held dangerous views, it was better for those views to be shared publicly, and debated, rather than remaining underground.
According to Plato, worse still were the tricksters – people who use verbal tricks, like plays on words, just to win the debate. The issue with these kinds of people is that they don’t care about honesty – just victory.
So, what can Plato’s dialogues teach us today? Well, for a start, we can start to recognize manipulative tactics – a useful skill in today’s world of unscrupulous politicians, advertisers, social media influencers, and so on.
His examples of good dialogue can also help us become better at interacting with others – particularly those with different political views. Given how polarized modern society has become, productive, collaborative dialogue is more important than ever.
The author Hobbs suggests that these are skills that should be learned early on. Plato’s approach to dialogue can help young people to improve their critical thinking, as well as their ability to discuss, debate, and disagree respectfully.
Like Plato, we should aim to understand the art – and importance – of constructive conversation.
Now, let’s go back to the big question – how to live well? Like Socrates, Plato thought that we should aim to live a flourishing life.
An important concept was eudaimonia. In Plato’s work, eudaimonia usually involves the realization of one’s mental and physical faculties. It’s not just about being happy, but trying to live up to our potential.
This is a valuable approach, especially when times are tough. Regardless of the external circumstances, you can still have agency. You can act in a way that is beneficial for you and your community.
Another key concept for Plato was that of the psychΔ. He explores this in the Republic through the character of Socrates, who discusses the different parts of the psychΔ, and the importance of psychic health. This was a key moment in the history of Western culture – the first known reference to mental health.
Plato also explores the idea of psychic harmony – a necessary condition for a flourishing life. Plato’s concepts of psychΔ and psychic harmony are quite complex, but for our purposes, what’s important is this: For Plato, achieving true psychic health or harmony requires the right cultural conditions. Inevitably, the individual is affected by the political and social context in which they live. As humans have to live in society, it follows that we need to think carefully about what kind of society we create.
According to the author Hobbs, Plato’s ideas are still relevant today. We should aim to create a culture that promotes the idea of psychic harmony, and which helps to prevent disharmony and illness.
Plato’s ideas about psychic harmony can be applied to many areas of modern day life. Again, Hobbs suggests that we keep Plato in mind when thinking about education. The years spent at school should be stimulating, and get us thinking about what it means to live a flourishing life.
In Plato, the concept of eudaimonia is connected to the idea of the shape of a life – its structure or narrative. So, it could be helpful for young people to explore a variety of narratives, including works of fiction like the Harry Potter books. Stories give us characters to reflect on, and help us to think about what makes a flourishing life – or not.
Another area to look at is urban planning. When we’re thinking about designing public spaces, for example, we might consider the present and future flourishing of all inhabitants – plants and animals, as well as humans.
Plato makes it clear that in order for humans to flourish, we need to have the right conditions. And these days, we have so much evidence of how deeply interconnected the world is. Human flourishing is intertwined with the flourishing of Earth itself, and all living beings.
So, maybe Plato can help us to tackle problems on a societal, or even global level. The way things are going, we need all the help we can get.
Plato’s dialogues explore another timeless topic – the nature of love and friendship. His characters frequently discuss erΕs, or erotic love, and philia, which can be translated as “friendship and affection”.
Plato’s powerful, sometimes moving discussions offer food for thought. What roles do these kinds of love have in our private lives? And what about philia in wider society? Perhaps we should be aiming for greater social harmony and unity.
While Plato gives us more questions than answers, one thing is clear – love and friendship matter. They’re fundamental parts of a flourishing life.
One of Plato’s best-known explorations of erΕs appears in the Symposium. There’s a famous scene where the character of Aristophanes recounts an ancient myth.
In the beginning, the myth goes, humans had two faces, four arms and legs, and two sets of genitals. One day, the god Zeus punished these beings, splitting them in two. The wounded beings were left to wander the world in search of their missing half. According to Aristophanes, this is why erΕs exists. Erotic love, and sexual intercourse, are an attempt to become whole again.
This myth is possibly the first reference in Western literature to the “other half”. As long as humans continue to be fascinated and bewildered by love, it will no doubt continue to be influential.
But how exactly are we supposed to interpret the myth? The lovers might seem disturbingly egotistical, seeing their beloved not as an individual, but just as a part of them – their missing half.
It’s likely that Plato wanted readers to discuss and scrutinize this idea, rather than take it at face value. Perhaps the message here is actually the opposite – that in a healthy romantic relationship, we need to recognize our partner as a whole person, with their own needs and desires.
Again, this is the beauty of the dialogue form. Plato’s characters have rich, thought-provoking discussions that invite us to have our own conversations – to reflect on the role of love and friendship in our own lives.
Reading works such as the Symposium and Phaedrus, there are so many questions we could ask ourselves. What kinds of erΕs and philia are beneficial? Which are harmful? And how important are issues of sex and gender?
Looking at the bigger picture, we might simply ask, “What is love?” and “What is friendship?” By reflecting on these questions, perhaps we can become better friends and lovers. And as a result, everyone will flourish.
The main takeaway of this lesson to Why Plato Matters Now by Angie Hobbs is that there is a lot to learn from the life and work of Plato.
Born in Athens in the 5th century BCE, Plato lived during a time of political turmoil. The death of his mentor, Socrates, deeply affected him, and much of his work can be seen as both a defense of his teacher, and a critique of the society that condemned him.
Through his dialogues, Plato explores enduring questions about how to live well, while deliberately encouraging readers to question and reflect, rather than accept fixed answers.
Plato provides models of constructive conversation. He emphasizes open-minded engagement, rational persuasion, and the importance of debating even dangerous or unpopular views. These dialogues teach critical thinking, and help expose manipulative rhetoric – lessons that remain relevant in today’s polarized societies.
Plato also develops key ideas about human flourishing, or eudaimonia, and the importance of “psychic harmony”, which can be achieved when different parts of the soul are in balance. He believed that individual well-being depends on social, cultural, and political conditions, making education and civic design central to human flourishing.
Plato’s reflections on love and friendship examine how erΕs and philia shape our lives. These relationships are essential to a flourishing, harmonious existence.
Why Plato Matters Now (2025) explores the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. It shows that, from conversational skills to romantic relationships, there’s still a lot we can learn from the thinker, potentially improving not only our own lives, but society as a whole.
Think about the last argument you witnessed – at a family dinner, perhaps, or playing out endlessly on the news. Everyone was talking, no one was listening, and the goal seemed less about understanding than about winning.
Moments like these can leave us wondering whether social harmony is still possible. But this is nothing new. More than 2,000 years ago, Plato was grappling with a world that felt just as unstable and polarized as our own.
Living through war, plague, political extremism, and the death sentence of his teacher Socrates, Plato asked questions that still feel urgent. How should we live? What makes a society healthy? And how can people with deeply different views speak to one another without tearing everything apart?
Rather than offering simple answers, Plato wrote dialogues – living conversations filled with flawed characters, sharp disagreements, and moments of insight. Reading them can feel less like studying ancient philosophy, and more like listening in on an intense, thoughtful discussion that refuses to let easy assumptions stand.
This lesson invites you into that world. You’ll get to know Plato not just as a great thinker, but as someone deeply concerned with everyday life – the quality of our conversations, the balance of our inner lives, and the meaning of love and friendship.
Without preaching or providing tidy conclusions, Plato challenges us to slow down, think carefully, and examine our own beliefs. In an age of noise and stubborn opinions, that invitation feels surprisingly radical.
Before we get into Plato’s philosophy, let’s learn a little about the man himself.
Plato was born in Athens in the 5th century BCE. He came from a privileged family, but lived through turbulent times.
Politically, things were tense in Athens – civil war, plague, and hostility between different factions. Some people supported a democratic system, while others were in favor of an oligarchy. Plato’s family had links to both factions.
Instead of going into politics, as was usual for a man of his background, Plato chose philosophy. He became an associate of the great philosopher Socrates. After Socrates was sentenced to death, Plato left Athens. He spent years travelling, studying, and teaching.
Plato himself narrowly avoided a premature death. While in Sicily, he had a fractious relationship with the tyrannical leader, Dionysius I, and then Dionysius II, who forced Plato to stay in Syracuse against his will.
Thanks to the intervention of a friend, Plato finally managed to return to Athens, where he continued writing and teaching until his death.
Looking at Plato’s life, we can gain a better understanding of his philosophy. Firstly, we can see why he was so concerned about the dangers of tyranny, having dealt with a tyrant or two himself. And given the political turbulence that Plato lived through, it’s not surprising that he placed high value on civic harmony.
Another important influence was his relationship with his mentor. Plato was deeply influenced by the teachings of Socrates. In fact, Plato’s entire body of work might be seen as a defence of Socrates, and a critique of the society that condemned him to death.
That being said, analyzing Plato’s work and identifying his personal beliefs can be tricky. Is the character of Socrates the same as the historic Socrates? When we’re reading the dialogues, can we know for sure what Plato himself believed?
The author Angie Hobbs – a professor who specializes in ancient Greek philosophy – suggests a nuanced approach. According to Hobbs, the Socrates who appears in Plato’s dialogues is a fictional character. Nonetheless, we can assume that the views the character expresses are close to those of the real Socrates. Plato also uses the character of Socrates to explore his own interests, such as political theory and psychology.
Hobbs believes it’s possible to identify Plato’s own beliefs in his work. However, for Plato, it was important that even his most cherished beliefs were questioned and scrutinized.
Plato shared Socrates' interest in the big question – how should we live? In simple terms, Socrates believed that a good life was a flourishing and virtuous life.
We’ll be looking at these ideas in more depth later on. But for now, the key takeaway is this – Plato was interested in building on Socrates’ work, and understanding how to live. It’s one of those eternal questions, and one of the many reasons that Plato still matters now.
A central feature of Plato’s work is the dialogue form. It’s vivid and immersive, drawing the reader in. The dialogues invite us to actively reflect, so that we ourselves become philosophers, in a way. For Plato, this kind of active engagement was essential for philosophical progress.
In the dialogues, he explores the close connections between our characters, lives, and beliefs. The wide variety of characters – from the philosopher Socrates to the dissolute politician Alcibiades – also serve as models for reflection. Could this character be a role model? Or are they a warning?
Something Plato does brilliantly is illustrate how to engage in philosophical discussion. As we’ll see in a moment, these are lessons we can still learn from today.
For Plato, the first requirement is to simply show up – to be prepared to engage in an open, honest conversation. It’s not about winning the debate, but taking part in a rational dialogue. Plato believed that exercising reason was our duty – a task that had been divinely appointed to us. And what better way to exercise our reason than with an intelligent debate?
Importantly, the aim should be to persuade the other person – not bulldoze them into submission – in order to reach genuine agreement. Also, no topic is off-limits. We should be able to discuss everything openly.
Plato also gives us examples of how not to engage in dialogue – like through the characters of Callicles and Thrasymachus, who appear in the Gorgias and the Republic respectively. Callicles is hostile and contemptuous, while Thrasymachus is even more combative. As a result, both characters learn very little – if at all – from their discussions.
Still, for Plato, it was essential to at least try to engage with these kinds of people. And if they held dangerous views, it was better for those views to be shared publicly, and debated, rather than remaining underground.
According to Plato, worse still were the tricksters – people who use verbal tricks, like plays on words, just to win the debate. The issue with these kinds of people is that they don’t care about honesty – just victory.
So, what can Plato’s dialogues teach us today? Well, for a start, we can start to recognize manipulative tactics – a useful skill in today’s world of unscrupulous politicians, advertisers, social media influencers, and so on.
His examples of good dialogue can also help us become better at interacting with others – particularly those with different political views. Given how polarized modern society has become, productive, collaborative dialogue is more important than ever.
The author Hobbs suggests that these are skills that should be learned early on. Plato’s approach to dialogue can help young people to improve their critical thinking, as well as their ability to discuss, debate, and disagree respectfully.
Like Plato, we should aim to understand the art – and importance – of constructive conversation.
Now, let’s go back to the big question – how to live well? Like Socrates, Plato thought that we should aim to live a flourishing life.
An important concept was eudaimonia. In Plato’s work, eudaimonia usually involves the realization of one’s mental and physical faculties. It’s not just about being happy, but trying to live up to our potential.
This is a valuable approach, especially when times are tough. Regardless of the external circumstances, you can still have agency. You can act in a way that is beneficial for you and your community.
Another key concept for Plato was that of the psychΔ. He explores this in the Republic through the character of Socrates, who discusses the different parts of the psychΔ, and the importance of psychic health. This was a key moment in the history of Western culture – the first known reference to mental health.
Plato also explores the idea of psychic harmony – a necessary condition for a flourishing life. Plato’s concepts of psychΔ and psychic harmony are quite complex, but for our purposes, what’s important is this: For Plato, achieving true psychic health or harmony requires the right cultural conditions. Inevitably, the individual is affected by the political and social context in which they live. As humans have to live in society, it follows that we need to think carefully about what kind of society we create.
According to the author Hobbs, Plato’s ideas are still relevant today. We should aim to create a culture that promotes the idea of psychic harmony, and which helps to prevent disharmony and illness.
Plato’s ideas about psychic harmony can be applied to many areas of modern day life. Again, Hobbs suggests that we keep Plato in mind when thinking about education. The years spent at school should be stimulating, and get us thinking about what it means to live a flourishing life.
In Plato, the concept of eudaimonia is connected to the idea of the shape of a life – its structure or narrative. So, it could be helpful for young people to explore a variety of narratives, including works of fiction like the Harry Potter books. Stories give us characters to reflect on, and help us to think about what makes a flourishing life – or not.
Another area to look at is urban planning. When we’re thinking about designing public spaces, for example, we might consider the present and future flourishing of all inhabitants – plants and animals, as well as humans.
Plato makes it clear that in order for humans to flourish, we need to have the right conditions. And these days, we have so much evidence of how deeply interconnected the world is. Human flourishing is intertwined with the flourishing of Earth itself, and all living beings.
So, maybe Plato can help us to tackle problems on a societal, or even global level. The way things are going, we need all the help we can get.
Plato’s dialogues explore another timeless topic – the nature of love and friendship. His characters frequently discuss erΕs, or erotic love, and philia, which can be translated as “friendship and affection”.
Plato’s powerful, sometimes moving discussions offer food for thought. What roles do these kinds of love have in our private lives? And what about philia in wider society? Perhaps we should be aiming for greater social harmony and unity.
While Plato gives us more questions than answers, one thing is clear – love and friendship matter. They’re fundamental parts of a flourishing life.
One of Plato’s best-known explorations of erΕs appears in the Symposium. There’s a famous scene where the character of Aristophanes recounts an ancient myth.
In the beginning, the myth goes, humans had two faces, four arms and legs, and two sets of genitals. One day, the god Zeus punished these beings, splitting them in two. The wounded beings were left to wander the world in search of their missing half. According to Aristophanes, this is why erΕs exists. Erotic love, and sexual intercourse, are an attempt to become whole again.
This myth is possibly the first reference in Western literature to the “other half”. As long as humans continue to be fascinated and bewildered by love, it will no doubt continue to be influential.
But how exactly are we supposed to interpret the myth? The lovers might seem disturbingly egotistical, seeing their beloved not as an individual, but just as a part of them – their missing half.
It’s likely that Plato wanted readers to discuss and scrutinize this idea, rather than take it at face value. Perhaps the message here is actually the opposite – that in a healthy romantic relationship, we need to recognize our partner as a whole person, with their own needs and desires.
Again, this is the beauty of the dialogue form. Plato’s characters have rich, thought-provoking discussions that invite us to have our own conversations – to reflect on the role of love and friendship in our own lives.
Reading works such as the Symposium and Phaedrus, there are so many questions we could ask ourselves. What kinds of erΕs and philia are beneficial? Which are harmful? And how important are issues of sex and gender?
Looking at the bigger picture, we might simply ask, “What is love?” and “What is friendship?” By reflecting on these questions, perhaps we can become better friends and lovers. And as a result, everyone will flourish.
The main takeaway of this lesson to Why Plato Matters Now by Angie Hobbs is that there is a lot to learn from the life and work of Plato.
Born in Athens in the 5th century BCE, Plato lived during a time of political turmoil. The death of his mentor, Socrates, deeply affected him, and much of his work can be seen as both a defense of his teacher, and a critique of the society that condemned him.
Through his dialogues, Plato explores enduring questions about how to live well, while deliberately encouraging readers to question and reflect, rather than accept fixed answers.
Plato provides models of constructive conversation. He emphasizes open-minded engagement, rational persuasion, and the importance of debating even dangerous or unpopular views. These dialogues teach critical thinking, and help expose manipulative rhetoric – lessons that remain relevant in today’s polarized societies.
Plato also develops key ideas about human flourishing, or eudaimonia, and the importance of “psychic harmony”, which can be achieved when different parts of the soul are in balance. He believed that individual well-being depends on social, cultural, and political conditions, making education and civic design central to human flourishing.
Plato’s reflections on love and friendship examine how erΕs and philia shape our lives. These relationships are essential to a flourishing, harmonious existence.
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