Plato (c.428 BC-c.347 BC), Ancient Greek philosopher. Plato's spirit of rational inquiry led to today's scientific method. His writings shaped and continue to have a profound influence on Western thought. He was a pupil of Socrates, founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world, and taught Aristotle. Plato helped to form the first coherent model of the motion of heavenly bodies. He was also a contemporary of Hippocrates and wrote on the circulatory system in his work the dialogue 'Timaeus'. Artwork by Lucas Vorsterman I after Rubens published c. 1630 - 1638.