Few individuals have influenced the world and many of today's thinkers like Plato.
很少有人像柏拉图那样影响了世界和许多当代的思想家。
One 20th century philosopher even went so far as to describe all of Western philosophy as a series of footnotes to Plato.
一位20世纪的哲学家甚至形容所有的西方哲学都是柏拉图学说的脚注。
He created the first Western university and was teacher to Ancient Greece's greatest minds, including Aristotle.
他创立第一所西方的大学，也是古希腊很多伟大思想家的老师，学生包括亚里士多德。
But even one of the founders of philosophy wasn't perfect.
但即使身为哲学奠基者之一，他并不完美。
Along with his great ideas, Plato had a few that haven't exactly stood the test of time.
除了他的伟大学说，柏拉图有一些说法未能真的通过时间的考验。
So here are brief rundowns of a few of his best and worst ideas.
接下来快速介绍几个他最棒和最差的理念。
Plato argued that beyond our imperfect world was a perfect unchanging world of Forms.
柏拉图认为在我们不完美的世界之外，是个完美不变的理型世界。
Forms are the ideal versions of the things and concepts we see around us.
理型是我们观看周遭事物和概念的理想版本.
They serve as a sort of instruction manual to our own world.
它们类似我们世界的使用指南。
Floating around the world of Forms is the ideal tree, and the ideal YouTube channel,
理型世界的周围漂浮着完美之树和完美的YouTube频道，
and even the ideal justice, or ideal love.
甚至是完美的正义，或完美的爱。
Our own reality is comprised of imperfect copies of ideal Forms.
我们的现实世界是由不完美的理型复本所组成。
Plato argued that philosophers should strive to contemplate and understand these perfect Forms
柏拉图认为哲学家应该努力思考，并理解这些完美的理型，
so that they may better navigate our misleading reality.
这样他们或许能在这误导的现实里导航。
While it may seem silly, the disconnect between the world as it appears and the greater truth behind it
虽然看似愚蠢，但世界表象与其背后真相之间的落差，
is one of philosophy's most vexing problems.
是最恼人的一个哲学问题。
It's been the subject of thousands of pages by theologians, philosophers, and screenwriters alike.
长久以来有很多人，包括神学家、哲学家和剧作家等，探讨这个主题。
It raises questions like should we trust our senses to come to the truth or our own reason?
因而提出像是这样的问题：为得到真理，我们该信任自己的感性还是理性？
For Plato, the answer is reason. It alone provides us with at least the potential to contemplate the Forms.
柏拉图认为答案是理性。单单理性就至少提供我们思考理型的潜力。
But reason didn't always pan out for Plato himself.
但柏拉图自己的理性并非总成功。
When he sought to situate humankind amongst the animals, he lumped us in with birds.
当他寻觅人类在动物间的摆放位置时，把我们与鸟类摆在一块儿。
'Featherless bipeds' was his official designation.
“无羽毛的两足动物”是他的正式定义。

Diogenes the Cynic, annoyed by this definition,
犬儒派的戴奥基尼斯对这个定义十分不满，
stormed into Plato's class with a plucked chicken, announcing, 'Behold. Plato's man.'
带着一只拔了毛的鸡冲进柏拉图的教室，大声宣布：“看哪，这是柏拉图所谓的人类。”
But back to a few good ideas.
我们回来看柏拉图的一些伟大理念。
Plato is one of the earliest political theorists on record,
柏拉图是史上最早的政治理论家之一，
and with Aristotle, is seen as one of the founders of political science.
与亚里士多德一同被视为政治学的奠基人。
He reasoned that being a ruler was no different than any other craft,
他认为成为一名统治者与其他技艺没什么差别，
whether a potter or doctor, and that only those who had mastered the craft were fit to lead.
不论是制陶工人或是医生，只有熟练掌握所需技能的人才适合领导。
Ruling was the craft of contemplating the Forms.
统治是一项思考理型的技艺。
In his Republic, Plato imagined a utopia where justice is the ultimate goal.
在《理想国》里，他把乌托邦想象为一个以正义为终极目标的地方。
Plato's ideal city seeks a harmonious balance between its individual parts and should be lead by a philosopher king.
柏拉图的理想城市寻求每个各别部分和谐共处，并且应由哲学家国王所统治。
Millennia before his time, Plato also reasoned that women were equally able to rule in this model city.
柏拉图早在千年以前就认为女人具有同等的能力，可以统治这个模范城市。
Unfortunately, Plato was inconsistent with women, elsewhere likening them to children.
可惜柏拉图对于女性的观点并不一致，他在别处把她们比做孩童。
He also believed that a woman's womb was a live animal that could wander around in her body and cause illness.
他还认为女人的子宫是个活生生的动物，会在女性身体里游走并引致疾病。
This bad idea, also espoused by other contemporaries of Plato, was sadly influential for hundreds of years in European medicine.
这个愚蠢的想法也被柏拉图那一代的人奉为圭臬，很不幸地影响了几百年的欧洲医学。
Furthermore, he thought that society should be divided into three groups: producers, the military, and the rulers,
此外，他认为社会上的人应该分类成三类：生产者、战斗者和统治者，
and that a great noble lie should convince everyone to follow this structure.
而有个高尚的谎言应能说服每个人遵从这个结构。
The noble lie he proposed was that we're all born with gold, silver, or a mixture of brass and iron in our souls,
他提出的高尚谎言是我们生而有着金、银或铜铁的混合物，存在灵魂里，
which determine our roles in life.
进而决定了我们人生所要担当的角色。
Some thinkers have gone on to credit the idea of the noble lie as a prototype for 20th century propaganda,
有些思想家甚至认为他的高尚谎言正是20世纪政治宣传的雏型，
and the philosopher king as inspiration for the dictators that used them.
他的哲学家国王想法启发独裁者利用它。
Should a few bad ideas tarnish Plato's status as one of the greatest philosophers in history? No!
这些少数的糟糕理念应该动摇柏拉图作为史上最伟大哲学家之一的地位吗？当然不！
Plato gave the leaders and thinkers who came after him a place to start.
柏拉图给了后世的领袖和思想家一个起始点。
Through the centuries, we've had the chance to test those ideas through writing and experience,
多个世纪以来，我们得以从写作和经验中测试那些想法，
and have accepted some while rejecting others.
接受了一些，而驳回其他的一些。
We are continuing to refine, amend, and edit his ideas which have become foundations of the modern world.
我们持续改进、修正和编辑他的想法，使之后来成为了现代社会的基础。