Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician who was a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. He founded the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. Plato's philosophical works, such as 'The Republic' and 'The Symposium', have had a profound influence on Western thought. He is known for his theories on ethics, politics, metaphysics, and epistemology. His dialogues, written in the form of conversations between characters, remain timeless classics in philosophy.