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I was also unaware of Plato's possible slavery, and found this [0], but I do not have the background knowledge judge the veracity of the information: > One sou
by npongratz 5y ago
I was also unaware of Plato's possible slavery, and found this [0], but I do not have the background knowledge judge the veracity of the information:
> One source of the story of Plato being sold into slavery is Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius. An English translation is available online [1] on Project Perseus. You can find the full story in Book 3 that discusses the life of Plato.
[0] https://history.stackexchange.com/a/37499 https://history.stackexchange.com/a/37499
[1] http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0258 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%...
- imbnwa 5y agoThese sources just highlight that he was, at best, under threat of being a slave though, not that he was actually sold and performed as a slave. He's ransomed for at the last minute by someone recognizing him at the market. If Plato had actually been a slave, his lifelong commitment to anti-democratic political organization would've been a little different, though maybe not, considering even this experience didn't change his philosophy, to the point that's likely not worth mentioning as a significant experience, unlike Epictectus who was born into slavery.
- dr_dshiv 5y agoSorry being up for sale in a slave market isn’t enough—I think it is fascinating and important.