evidence: Plato of Athens (424 or 423 to 347 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher whose work is considered so important that he may be called the inventor of philosophy as we understand the term today. Some people would want to reserve that honor for his teacher, Socrates, but since Socrates wrote nothing himself for publication, we only have the quasi-fictional descriptions of him and his work by Plato and Xenophon. [...] Plato grew up during a time of war. The so-called Peloponnesian War between Athens (and its allies) and Sparta (and its allies) lasted from 431 to 404 BCE. By the time Plato was in his early teens, it was clear that Athens had overreached itself and was going to lose the war. It was a gruesome war and a grim time to be a young boy.