A second circumstance that doubtless contributed to make Italy the birthplace of the Renaissance was the fact that in Italy the break between the old and the new civilization was not so complete as it was in the other countries of Western Europe.
Born circa 428 B.C.E., ancient Greek philosopher Plato was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. His writings explored justice, beauty and equality, and also contained discussions in aesthetics, political philosophy, theology, cosmology, epistemology and the philosophy of language.
The specific way that Plato makes use of the character of Socrates varies some-. what during the different periods in which Plato wrote. In the early dialogues the Socrates that Plato presents to the reader is probably close. to the historic Socrates. Socrates is portrayed in these dialogues as precisely what he was. in real lifeâa gadfly, whose aim was to make people recognize that many of their beliefs. are baseless.