Plato was involved in philosophy.
Plato ( [ ˈpleɪtoʊ ] Greek : Πλάτων Plátōn , [ plá.tɔːn ] in Classical Attic ; 428/427 or 424/423 -- 348/347 BCE ) was a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens , the first institution of higher learning in the Western world . He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy , especially the Western tradition . Few other authors in the history of Western philosophy approximate him in depth and range : perhaps only Aristotle ( who studied with him ) , Aquinas and Kant would be generally agreed to be of the same rank . ''