Plato (c. 427 – 347 BC) was one of the most important philosophers of all time. Born to wealthy parents in Athens, Greece, Plato was a student of Socrates (who did not write) and, later, became the teacher of Aristotle. Plato started a university in Athens called the Academy where he taught. Plato wrote about many ideas in philosophy that are still talked about today, including political philosophy and the philosophy of language. One modern scholar, Alfred North Whitehead, said that all European philosophy since Plato is a series of footnotes to his works.