186 Plato Essay Topics

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Plato

1. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave: Essay
2. The Difference Between Plato and Aristotle’s Views
3. Plato and Aristotle Views on the Concept of Knowledge
4. Plato and Aristotle Differences
5. Plato’s and Machiavelli’s Political Views Analysis
6. Philosophy: Plato’s Theory of Forms
7. Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”: Argumentative Analysis

👍 Good Plato Research Topics & Essay Examples

1. Plato: His Inspirations and Theories

   Due to Plato’s influence towards developing the natural and western philosophies, Plato became one of the most renowned philosophers in history
2. Plato’s Work “Allegory of the Cave” vs. Kant’s “What Is Enlightenment?”

   The two philosophical works, namely Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Immanuel Kant’s “What is enlightenment?”, present their authors’ views concerning a better state and society.
3. Rhetoric of “The Myth of the Charioteer” by Plato

   The Myth of the Charioteer by Plato is the part of his dialogue Phaedrus. Being presented as the Chariot Allegory, Plato aims to describe the nature of human soul using rhetoric.
4. Plato and Rousseau: Educational Philosophies Comparison

   The main philosophies in education belong to two famous thinkers, Rousseau and Plato, who created and implemented their dogmas of world perception in different eras.
5. St. Augustine, Socrates and Plato: Comparison

   Through analysis concerning the perception of faith and goodness, St. Augustine and Plato Socrates are similar in many aspects of philosophy.
6. “The Apology of Socrates” by Plato

   In Apology, Socrates reveals his own foreknowledge that he was acting in a way that contradicted the important values of his culture.
7. Diotima’s Speech in “The Symposium” by Plato

   In the work “The Symposium” by Plato, Socrates quotes Diotima as saying that Love is neither mortal nor eternal, lovely nor ugly.
8. Plato’s and Aristotle’s Approaches to Metaphysics Comparison

   Plato’s and Aristotle’s approaches are thought to be polar: the idealistic and the materialistic, but they intersect in the comprehension and importance of the non-material.
9. Philosophy: Plato’s View on the Self

   Plato’s view of the self is correct because it provides a clear and comprehensive explanation of the basic components of personality.
10. Plato’s Theory of Forms: Metaphysics and Epistemology

    Plato is a crucial figure in ancient philosophy and contributed to studying and discussing metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.
11. Comparison Between Plato and Aristotle’s View on Women

    Plato and Aristotle have separate views on women where one of them advocated for equality, and the other proposed that there should be ab alienation of women.
12. Theory of Knowledge: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

    Analyzing the perception and subjective or objective reality, an example of differences between people as agents can be demonstrated through cultural context.
13. Douglass’ Learning to Read and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

    Frederick Douglass’s Learning to Read and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave share the idea that knowledge is decisive and crucial for the self-awareness of a person.
14. Comparing Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle

    Aristotle is a disciple of Plato. Aristotle believed that Plato’s theory of ideas was entirely insufficient to explain empirical reality
15. Philosophy of Plato: Theory of Knowledge

    Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” is an image in a fragment of the expression of the ideas of the perception of the world, the state, and the place of a person.
16. Plato’s and Aristotle’s Dualism and Theory of Forms

    The difference between the ways in which Plato and Aristotle approached the theory of forms offers background into how the philosophers chose their stances on different phenomena.
17. Justice and Injustice in Plato’s Philosophy

    The present essay disagrees with the idea proclaimed by Plato and argues that his vision of the problem of justice and injustice is idealized and is not adapted to reality.
18. Plato’s and Aristotle’s Argument on Forms and Universals

    The article is a comparison of the theories of Plato and Aristotle concerning the explanation of the nature of forms and universal states.
19. Democracy: Strengths and Weaknesses According to Thucydides and Plato

    The ancient Greek civilization handed the world a model of democracy that has been borrowed by many democratic societies globally up to the modern times.
20. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” in the Modern World

    Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” remains relevant to this day; readers can see it in the problem of social networks, ideology, argumentation, media, fear, and ethics.
21. Plato’s “Symposium”: An Explanation of Love

    Plato’s “Symposium” narrative suggests that Love comes in layers of revelations, which is why it is similar to a learnable skill.
22. Plato’s “Apology”: Analysis and Evaluation

    In Plato’s work, Socrates claims that, to corrupt the young minds, he should know how the process of corruption is performed, in the first place.
23. Philosophy: Plato’s “Five Dialogues” Analysis

    A discussion about the value of human life could be initiated. As it comes from “Five Dialogues,” Socrates sacrifices his life to protect his vision of justice and society.
24. Justice and Happiness in Plato’s “Republic”

    Plato’s Republic focuses on the discussion of the meaning of justice and explores a connection between the just man and his happiness.
25. The Nature of Piety in Plato’s “Euthyphro”

    In Plato’s “Euthyphro,” Socrates asks whether something is pious because the gods love it or whether the gods love it because it is pious.
26. Ideas of Plato and Aristotle as a Basis for Medieval and Early Modern Period Concept of Soul

    Depending on the solution to this problem, the emphasis is shifted either to the biological nature of a person or to their spiritual essence.
27. Plato and Aristotle’s Philosophy on Common Interest

    While Aristotle strongly rejects Plato’s claim that there is no value in collective unity, this essay illustrates that both philosophers have a common view.
28. Plato’s Philosophy of Religion

    Plato’s philosophy laid the foundations for two proofs of the existence of God, deployed in the subsequent tradition – ontological and cosmological.

✍️ Plato Essay Topics for College

1. How Does “The Matrix” Film Connection to “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato?

   In his well-known work titled “The Allegory of the Cave”, Plato teaches a moral lesson about the relativity of everything that an individual perceives as common truths.
2. Plato’s Republic – The Most Outstanding Points

   In ‘The Republic’, Plato describes four types of imperfect political systems – timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny as well as the characters of its citizens.
3. “The Allegory of The Cave” by Plato

   Plato’s allegory of the cave is important for the consequential development of Western philosophical thought. It had laid a foundation for European metaphysics.
4. Plato’s and Aristotle’s Ideas of Ethics

   Plato and Aristotle were both two individuals who defiantly had brilliant ideas on how to make the world a good place to live.
5. Philosophy Issues: The Allegory of The Cave by Plato

   This paper highlights one of Plato’s philosophical writings, namely ‘The Allegory of the Cave’, whose key ideas include the nature of the world and its occupants, the organization of the society.
6. Plato’s “Euthyphro”: The Meaning of Piety as a Virtue

   Plato’s “Euthyphro” is a written dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro that discusses the meaning of piety as a virtue.
7. Socrates’ Apology and Crito: Law and Justice Analysis

   This paper portrays a critical appraisal of Plato’s confession by concentrating on the ethical limits of legal requirements that depict Socrates’ opposition to national unfairness.
8. Plato’s “Republic” – What Is Democracy?

   An idealized version of a parliamentary government is the redefinition of democracy. Plato failed to see the possibility of transforming ordinary people into intelligent members of the electorate.
9. How Art Represents Reality in Plato’s View

   The conflict between Plato and contemporary art consisted in the fact that the philosopher considered the attempt of artists to imitate reality to be pernicious.
10. Theories of Governance: Plato’s and Aristotle’s Theories

    This paper explores Plato’s and Aristotle’s theories of governance and their relevance to governance thought throughout history, as well as current gun issues.
11. Political Theory: Socrates, Machiavelli, and Plato’s Ideas

    This papers mainly focus on Socrates’ view of life and how an ideal society should look like, and the connection made to human life, as well as Machiavelli and Plato’s ideas.
12. Plato vs. Wollstonecraft on Education and Gender Relations

    The paper compares two approaches to education and gender relations, one advocated by Plato and the second presented by Mary Wollstonecraft.
13. A Letter to Plato the Philosopher

    Plato’s concept of happiness from his philosophical perception went the opposite direction by stating that mastering oneself rules the pleasures and appetites that lead to misery.
14. The Conception of Justice in Plato’s “Republic”

    In defining justice as an evaluative standard, Plato presents a new conception of justice revolving around the harmonious combination of reason, spirit, and desire.
15. Plato, Confucius, and Han Fei: Definitions of Society

    Despite the disagreements in their definitions of society, Plato, Confucius, and Han Fei still introduce fascinating perspectives on defining society and supporting its existence.
16. Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”: What Does It Symbolize?

    Plato uses the allegory to demonstrate how limited is humans’ knowledge and how wrongful can one’s perception of the world be when based on it.
17. Aristotle and Plato Works Comparison

    Along with Socrates and Plato, Aristotle is believed to be one of the most ancient Greek philosophers. Being arguably the most educated man of those times, Aristotle had a wide range of interests.
18. Plato and Absolutism in “The Allegory of the Cave”

    In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato provides his perspective on the issue by using a dark cave and prisoners in chains as symbols of limitations related to human perception.
19. Plato’s Concept of the True Art of Politics

    According to Plato, the central axis of the state is justice; it contains the answer to the question of why and how a perfect polis is born and dies.
20. The Escape of Socrates in Plato’s “Crito”

    The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strength of claims by Socrates, Crito, and Aquinas and examine whether Socrates should have disobeyed the terms of his conviction and escaped prison.
21. Plato’s Sixth Book of Republic: Divided Line

    Plato’s “Divided Line” describes reality in two opposites: visible and intelligible. He recognizes the latter as the highest form as a person seeks reasoning.
22. Plato’s Arguments Against the Sophists Essay

    Plato criticized the Sophists for attempting to influence the populace and succeeding by abusing Doxa, among other things (public opinion).
23. Plato’s, Aristotle’s, and Machiavelli’s Perspectives on the Ideal Form of Government

    Since Plato, Aristotle, and Machiavelli each single out a particular characteristic of human nature, their idea of a perfect political regime is tethered to it.
24. Plato’s Political Philosophy and Aristotle’s Political Science

    This essay will examine the reasons behind different perceptions of Plato’s and Aristotle’s works and their perspectives on government and politics.
25. Justice in “The Republic” by Plato

    In the work “The Republic”, Plato’s strategy entails explicating the primary notion of justice, political or societal, and deriving a comparable idea of justice.
26. Plato’s, Aristotle’s, and Socrates’ Philosophical Ideas

    Despite the lack of similarity, the teachings of different philosophies are identified more easily, and their nature, as well as the similar concepts that appear in philosophy.
27. Philosophic Comparison: Fahrenheit 451 and Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’

    This paper iis a deployed line of argumentation, in defense of the suggestion that the film Fahrenheit 451 and Plato’s ‘allegory of the cave’ do interrelate.
28. Plato’s Concept of Forms and the Soul’s Immortality

    Plato proposes the concept of Forms that give a particular characteristic to the phenomenon and bases his final argument on the soul’s immortality.
29. “The Socratic Dialogues” by Plato

    The paper aims to assess Plato’s system of philosophy as found in “The Socratic dialogues” by reconstructing the philosophical concepts.

🌶️ Hot Plato Ideas to Write about

1. Confucius, Aristotle, and Plato: The Issue of Harmony

   Confucius states that harmony is an equilibrium. Aristotle describes harmony as a connection between different and even opposite people. For Plato, harmony is within a soul.
2. Plato’s Philosophy: Souls Are Immortal

   Plato states that knowledge is a recollection of already existing factors. However, he should have explained how the soul gains that knowledge.
3. Reviews Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and “Theory of Forms”

   Allegory of the Cave and Theory of Forms reveal important things about Plato’s philosophy, including an interest in distinguishing between the real and the illusory.
4. Plato’s Approach to Economic Matters in “Symposium”

   While Symposium is not the most famous of Plato’s works, like Republic or Allegory of the Cave, it still occupies a prominent place within the philosopher’s legacy.
5. Argumentation in Plato’s “Apology of Socrates”

   Socrates’s arguments against the accusations of the prosecutor Meletus are represented in two ways. One way included an explanation of the purpose and method of Socrates.
6. A Wise Woman in Plato’s “Symposium”

   Through the character of a wise woman named Diotima, Plato describes the role of love in the mystical ascent to truth and immortality.
7. Plato’s View of Art: Philosophies of Art and Beauty

   Plato was known for being concerned about society and its morals. He knew that art had a great influence on the youths, which is why he expressed some concerns.
8. The “Euthyphro” Dialogue by Plato

   The ancient Greek philosopher Plato’s dialogue “Euthyphro” is a fascinating exploration of religion and morality.
9. Wisdom in Plato’s “Apology”

   Socrates claimed to possess human wisdom which helped a lot in his defense and arguments as evidenced in sections 20c-23b of Pluto’s Apology.
10. Philosophy: Theory of Knowledge of Plato

    The paper states that it is necessary to consider the difficulty of mastering Platonic materials with the lack of a presentation of philosophical thoughts.
11. Socrates vs. Plato in the Perspective of History

    The paper discusses Plato and Aristotle independently to compare and contrast. Their history, guiding principles, and critical ideas are discussed.
12. Plato’s Gorgias Dialogue on the Power of Rhetoric

    Dialogue Gorgias by Plato consists of three conversations of Socrates: with Gorgias himself, with Polus, and with Callicles.
13. Plato, Skeptic, and Stoic: Philosophical Dialogue

    This research paper analyzes the philosophical dialogue between Plato, Skeptic, and Stoic. Each of them presents his point of view.
14. Discussion of Plato’s Views on Reality

    The main concept of Plato’s cave allegory is to describe the human condition, in which genuine truth is veiled and misleading pictures and information are mistaken for reality.
15. Plato’s vs. Aristotle’s Political Approaches

    Aristotle’s political approach is different from Plato’s approach in the sense that Plato’s approach is not applicable in the ideal society.
16. Realities and Shadows in Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”

    The paper discusses realities and shadows in Plato’s allegory. The shadows reflect a distorted view of reality, a delusion about truth.
17. Plato’s “Republic” and Emotional Supervising

    Plato’s “Republic” describes a society ruled by pure reason, rejecting the emotions, art, passions, and pleasures that do not serve this reason.
18. An Analysis of Smith’s Lecture About Plato’s Republic

    As Smith notes, all the works written after the Republic can be viewed as an answer to it, it is not written in a textbook form or as a description of Plato’s view of the ideal state.
19. Socrates’ Ideas and Plato’s Representation in “Allegory of the Cave”

    Socrates’ ideas and their representation in the “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato were discussed in this essay as corresponding elements.
20. “Phaedrus” by Plato and “Experience of Reality” by Pessoa

    Both Pessoa in his work “Experience of Reality”, and Plato in “Phaedrus” recognize a split in a person’s mentality between the rational and irrational perception of reality.
21. What Is Philosophy Based on Plato’s Views?

    Philosophy is a framework under which even ordinary knowledge and information are questioned through criticism based on a strictly determined set of principles and rules.
22. The Book “The Republic” by Plato

    In the book “The Republic,” Plato provides the modern worn with some insights about the life and leadership styles used in ancient Greek society.
23. “The Last Days of Socrates” by Plato

    The Last Days of Socrates is one of the most underestimated works written by the world-known ancient Greek philosopher Plato.
24. The Plato’s “Leaving the Cave of Ignorance”

    Plato’s Allegory of the Cave presents an excellent metaphor for how easy it is to confuse truth and illusion, and how challenging the path to enlightenment can be.
25. Plato’s Theory of Forms Review

    Plato is one of the most studied philosophers. His attempt to find concrete, specific solutions to the significant problems in the world resulted in his work on the “Forms”.
26. “The Laws” by Plato

    The Laws is Plato’s casts light upon main political concepts such as ‘law’, ‘state’, ‘power’, ‘peace’ and others which are relevant in political philosophy in this dialogue.
27. Socrates in Aristotle’s and Plato’s Works

    This paper discusses the depiction of Socrates in Aristophanes Clouds, Plato’s dialogues, and how Aristophanes Cloud’s depiction differs from Plato’s dialogues.
28. Plato, Aristotle and Preferable Response to Literature

    The main task of the present paper is to analyze Aristotle and Plato’s points of view concerning art and to choose the one that is the most appropriate to reading literature.
29. Socrates and Plato: Ideas of the Great Philosophers

    The ideas of the ancient philosophers such as Socrates and Plato are often looked to for wisdom and an idea of the ‘right’ path one should take.
30. “Phaedo” and “The Republic” Dialogues by Plato

    Plato expressed his philosophy in the dialogues, among which the Phaedo and The Republic take a very important place.
31. Plato’s and Aristotle’s Views on Philosophy

    It is worth noting that the two great philosophers Plato and Aristotle had polar views on the essence, and the philosophy in general.
32. How Moral Intent Predisposes People to Act Morally

    The paper reviews such notions as moral intent, virtue ethics, Plato’s ethics, utilitarianism, sentimentalism, categorical imperative, master and slave moralities, natural rights.

🎓 Most Interesting Plato Research Titles

1. Thucydides, Horace, and Plato on the Ancient World’s Conflicts and Pressures
2. Plato and Aristotle’s Differing Views on Religion
3. The Nature and Honorability of Oratory in Gorgias by Plato
4. Understanding Plato’s Argument That Music Is a Moral Law
5. The Statement for the Politics of Plato‘s Kallipolis
6. Thomas Aquinas and Plato on Justice
7. The Three Key Elements for the Foundation of a Just City in “The Republic” by Plato
8. Medical Ethics and Plato’s Noble Lie
9. The Same Interesting Views of Art and the Nature of Art of Plato and Aristotle
10. Plato and Aristotle Quote Comparison
11. Human Nature and Moral Theory in Plato’s “The Republic”
12. Plato and Impossible Ideal Crito
13. Method and Madness: Education in Plato’s “The Republic” and Aristotle’s “Politics”
14. The Life, Works, and Teachings of the Greek Philosopher Plato
15. Investigating and Defending Plato’s Theory of Forms
16. Comparing Plato and Aristotle’s Acquisition of Ethical Understanding
17. God, Religion, and Plato
18. The View That Philosophers Should Rule in Plato’s Model for a State
19. Happiness and Virtue According to Aristotle and Plato
20. Tommaso Campanella, Plato, Thomas More, Saint Benedict, and Point of Departure
21. The Fundamentals Aspects That Shaped the Great Mind of Plato
22. Plato and Bertrand Russell on Nature of Reality Knowledge
23. The Differences Between Plato’s and Aristotle’s Ideas on an Ideal Polis
24. Plato and Aristotle: Their Contributions to the Development of Western Philosophy
25. Argument Between Love and Desire in Plato’s Symposium
26. The Two Important Themes in the Book of Job, Plato’s “Apology,” and “The Dhammapada” by Gil Fronsdal
27. Argument Against Plato the Athenian’s Point of Views
28. The War and Plato‘s Symposium, and the Man Discussed
29. The Life, Ideas, and Thoughts of Plato and Sigmund Freud
30. Wendy Brown’s Points About Toleration and Contrasting Them With Plato

💡 Simple Plato Essay Ideas

1. Belief and Knowledge According to Plato
2. Plato and Darwin: Natural Selection and the Successful Society
3. The Matrix and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
4. The Lives, Teachings, and Impact of the Three Greatest Philosophers of All Time: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
5. Plato and John Stuart Mill on Social Freedom
6. Morality, Justice, and Ethics of Plato‘s Crito
7. Moral Relativism and Plato’s “Euthyphro”
8. Incorrect Soul Division and Plato’s 3 Fold Model
9. The Contradiction Between Aristotle’s “Politics” and Plato’s “The Republic”
10. Understanding Plato’s Forms and the Concept of Philosopher-Kings
11. Affirmative Action and Plato’s Philosophies
12. Comparing Islamic Fundamentalism and Plato’s “Dialogues”
13. Thomas Hobbes and Plato on Government and Politics
14. The Differences Between the Hippocratic Corpus Papers and Plato’s Timaeus
15. Understanding Philosophy and Epistemology by Plato
16. Plato and Aristotle: Virtue and Happiness
17. Forms, Justice, and Plato’s Philosophy
18. Plato and Bellamy’s Utopias – The Root of Discord
19. The Relationship Between Plato‘s Regimes and the Current US
20. Glaucon’s Challenge and Plato’s Theory of Justice
21. Plato and Aristotle’s Forms of Government
22. Thomas More, Plato, and Machiavelli on the Views of Human Nature
23. Aristotle and Plato Critiquing Education
24. Understanding Human Nature Concerning Justice in “The Republic” by Plato
25. Plato and the Affect of Art and Poetry
26. The Thinkers’ Ideal States – A Contrast of Confucius & Plato
27. Plato and the Magical World of Atlantis
28. Injustice Versus Justice: “The Republic” by Plato
29. The Relation Between Plato’s Theory of Forms and the Concept of the Immortal Soul
30. Analogy Relationship Between Plato and Jean Jacques Rousseau

❓ Questions About Plato

1. Can Plato Adequately Respond to Thrasymachus’s Immoralist View of Justice?
2. Did Plato Betray Socrates?
3. What Does Human Virtue Mean as Explained in Plato’s Book “Meno”?
4. Can Plato’s Kallipolis Ever Be Real?
5. How Does Aristotle Oppose Plato’s Attack on Poetry?
6. Did Plato Influence St. Augustine?
7. How Can Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Be Read in a Contemporary Social, Geo-Political Milieu?
8. Does Plato Believe That Being or Change Is More Real?
9. How Does Aristotle’s View of Politics Differ From That of Plato?
10. Does Plato Believe There Can Ever Be a Just Society?
11. How Does Plato Relate the Soul of the Virtuous Individual to the Ideal Republic in His “The Republic”?
12. Does Plato’s Theory of the Psyche Relate to Modern Management Practice?
13. How Are Humans Afraid of Change as Portrayed in Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”?
14. What Did Plato Contribute to Mathematics?
15. How Was Martin Luther King Influenced by Plato?
16. What Did Machiavelli Praise About Plato’s “The Republic”?
17. How Does Plato Present Justice in “The Republic”?
18. In What Way Did the Philosophy of Plato Influence Psychology?
19. How Does Plato Reconcile the Opposition Between Parmenides and Heraclitus?
20. Where the Real Socrates’ Ideas Leave Off and Where Plato’s Own Ideas Begin?
21. How Are Plato’s Views Lying in “The Republic”?
22. What Is the Biggest Difference Between Plato and Aristotle?
23. How Does Plato Use the Myth of the Cave?
24. Why Does Plato Argue That Divine Commands Can Never Be Genuinely Moral Commands?
25. How Did Plato View Justice?
26. Would Plato’s Society Work Today?
27. Why Does Plato Argue That Rulers Must Be Philosophers?
28. How Does Plato View Human Knowledge and Ignorance?
29. Why Are Aristotle’s Ideas Superior to Plato’s?
30. How Valid Are the Criticisms of Plato’s Theory of Forms?