Seventh Letter

work attributed to Plato

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The Seventh Letter is a work attributed to Plato, though its authorship is disputed. If authentic, it offers insights into Plato's life and his involvement with Dion of Syracuse. The letter discusses Plato's views on politics and his project to implement the ideal of the "philosopher-king". It also touches upon his reservations about public life, stemming from the treatment of his teacher, Socrates. The Seventh Letter is considered a late dialogue, a category of Plato's works that delves more deeply into his metaphysical positions.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Plato
Life
Moreover, if Plato’s Seventh Letter is to be believed (its authorship is disputed), the treatment of Socrates by both the oligarchy and the democracy made Plato wary of entering public life, as someone of his background would normally have done.
Read More
Moreover, if Plato’s Seventh Letter is to be believed (its authorship is disputed), the treatment of Socrates by both the oligarchy and the democracy made Plato wary of entering public life, as someone of his background would normally have done.
Read More

mysticism
The practice of secrecy
In his Seventh Letter, Plato asserted that his writings contain hints at secret teachings; and the Babylonian Talmud, a compilation of Jewish teachings and commentaries, instructs that Jewish mysticism is to be taught by means of “chapter headings” alone. The symbolae (“symbols”) of the Pythagoreans, the ciphers…
Read More
In his Seventh Letter, Plato asserted that his writings contain hints at secret teachings; and the Babylonian Talmud, a compilation of Jewish teachings and commentaries, instructs that Jewish mysticism is to be taught by means of “chapter headings” alone. The symbolae (“symbols”) of the Pythagoreans, the ciphers…
Read More