Plato, the originator of national thought and one of the greatest philosophers, was born in Athens in 427 BC. By birth he was a descendant of Solon, the Athenian legislator. Plato, a son of an aristocratic family, was a staunch opponent of family reform. He considered it an honor to participate in state affairs for a good reason. So the children of ten other Athenian aristocratic families came to Socrates, the famous Athenian philosopher, at the age of state service. He studied under Socrates for eight years. When Socrates was poisoned by the Athenian ruling class in 399 BC, he left Athens and traveled to Megara, Sirena, Egypt and Italy. He finally returned to Athens in 37 BC and established an academy there. From 36 BC onwards, he spent most of his life teaching at his academy and writing books. Among his books, Apology, The Lodge, The Republic, etc. are the main ones. Republic is a book written by him in his old age and it is in this book that he presents ideas and dialogues about the state, religion and philosophy.