<p>If you grew up in any Western culture, the philosophy of Plato shaped your thinking more than you probably realize. Plato&rsquo;s thinking about the nature of reality, about objective truth and knowledge, about morality and what it means to live a good life, about how to be a good person, how society ought to function, and about things like justice, moderation, courage, and much more, shaped the development of Western culture in crucial ways. Plato asked and answered most of life&rsquo;s important questions. And while we may or may not agree with his answers, knowing what he thought about crucial cosmic questions can help us sort out some of the challenges we face in today&rsquo;s world. The stuff Plato thought was and remains important stuff.</p>