Plato’s Academy as political think tank
If you thought Plato was just an theoretical philosopher, think again…
Plato’s Academy is arguably the most famous institution of higher learning in the history of humanity. And rightly so. Even though it certainly was nothing like the modern university, it gave us the very word, “academic,” to indicate the pursuit of intellectual excellence. (Naturally, the same word is also used disparagingly, as in “this is just academic”…)
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, “Academy” comes from the Greek Akadēmeia, meaning “the grove of Akadēmos,” a legendary Athenian from the Trojan War tales, who was the original estate-holder of the site. I have visited the modern remains of Plato’s Academy and the tiny nearby Plato Museum, and although there isn’t a lot to see there, one can easily conjure a sense of awe at the thought that so many philosophers have walked among the original buildings that eventually became today’s ruins.
When reading Robin Waterfield’s excellent and highly recommended biography, Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy, I discovered a whole new dimension to the ancient Academy that I was not aware of: it functioned as a political think tank of sorts, more than occasionally moving from simple policy advice to actual political intervention, sometimes without shying…
