Plato (429–347 BCE)

Plato has often been said to be at the origin of western rationalism. Alfred North Whitehead once famously quipped that all subsequent philosophy was merely a footnote to Plato. Friedrich Nietzsche characterized Christianity as “Platonism for the people.” Martin Heidegger and his “postmodern” followers have also traced the “onto-theology” that has dominated western thought back to Plato. Keywords: idealism; rationalism; tragedy