Plato’s best (and worst) ideas - Wisecrack

Few individuals have influenced the world and many of today’s thinkers like Plato. He created the first Western university and was teacher to Ancient Greece’s greatest minds, including Aristotle. But even he wasn’t perfect. Along with his great ideas, Plato had a few that haven’t exactly stood the test of time. Wisecrack gives a brief rundown of a few of Plato’s best and worst ideas.

Lesson by Wisecrack, animation by Aaron, Tom and Mathias Studios.

[weezact]

Of course he had some bad ideas. After all, Plato was just an imperfect replication of the perfect philosopher.

[moriartywalksfree]

"BEHOLD, PLATO'S MAN!"
awesome how centuries later that's still hilarious.

[lyrical]

Imagine being Plato's voice actor and being hired by TED-Ed to a studio just to spend hours just saying "Ooooh" "Hmm" "Ohhh" into a microphone

[madnessbydesign]

Diogenes: "Behold Plato's man!" holds up plucked chicken.
Plato: "'Men', Diogenes. I see two of you..."
Plato, the comeback king...

[Stewarew]

*rubs my leg*
Person:What are you doing?
Me:I'm pregnant
Person:Oh congrats

[MrClickity]

Diogenes: history's first and greatest troll. One time, Alexander the Great came to visit Diogenes and found him relaxing in the sun. Alexander asked Diogenes if there was anything he wanted from him; Diogenes said he just wanted Alexander to move so he wasn't blocking the sun.

Imagine that for a second: the most powerful man in the known world comes up to you and offers a favor and you reply, "Yeah, could you move a little to the right? I'm trying to work on my tan."

[Hy_Im_Rob]

"Behold! Plato's man!" I was like "OOOOHHH!!!"

[PanzerMold]

"Behold! Plato's Man!"
Apply cold water directly to burn. That is really going out of your way to make a point, I can tell Diogenes woke up angry, justifiably so I'd say.
"I am not a chicken damn it!"
I can hear him saying it now...

[brainquake]

"Plato deliberately made those outright bad ideas just so to prove his point that he is an imperfect replication of a perfect philosopher"

[knightofendor]

I feel the animation doesn’t pay justice to the fact that Plato was absolutely jacked. Absolutely rippled.

[CynicalHistorian]

Ah Diogenes... The only person who could perfectly refute Plato so succinctly. _Deface the coinage!_

[SourRoses]

After Diogenes' incident with the chicken, Plato then added the criteria "with broad, flat nails" to his definition of man

[Eddyhartz]

Theoretically there must be a perfect comment for every video.

[manikas]

Fun fact: Plato (Πλάτων) means Broad in Greek, refering to his broad shoulders and wide back, as he was a Beastly weightlifter as well.

[Scientin]

I feel like the whole "featherless biped" thing could be interpreted symbolically. One of humanity's most distinctive features is our freedom of choice, that we can choose to become more (or less) than our base instincts dictate. Traditionally, freedom is associated with birds due to their ability of flight, and they were considered closer to the heavens where the gods resided. In that case, it's possible humans are featherless bipeds not in the literal sense, but in the idea that we can come close to the heavens, but not ever truly reach it.

[couch_philosoph]

As a philosophy student, i always appreciate videos about philosophy, too many people nowadays don't know much about it anymore.

[KB-gdgg]

This is like the most cliff notes high school overview of Plato's work ever... There is nothing overtly wrong but it's like saying Lord of the Rings is about two little people who go on a long walk... It's not wrong but it's so reductive it might as well be

[todabsolute]

I'm disappointed no one in the comments pointed out that his beard in the thumbnail looks like teeth

[woodtypewriter]

*walks in with a featherless chicken*

"BEHOLD, A MAN!"

[colinstringer]

Without knowing it came from Plato, I've had the same idea about forms' all my life. I always feel like there's a perfect way to do something, and if you put in too much effort to achieve perfection it can drive you mad.
Perfection always seems possible, yet always remains unattainable in this world.