His conversations with the philosopher were what originally taught him that philosophy was his true calling. As he grew and learned from the world around him and from Socrates, Plato developed his own unique style of philosophy, based around the Socratic method. Plato considered philosophy to be a systematic, rigorous method of of constantly questioning and examining everything in one's surroundings.
In addition to his background, it is necessary to explore the influences in Plato's works. First, and perhaps the most important, the influence of his teacher, Socrates, should be explained. Plato learned a great deal from his teacher, and his trial unjust execution alike both influenced Plato's works, and, indeed, make up three of his greatest known dialogues: The Apology, Phaedo, and Crito. In addition to this, Plato made several visits to the Roman republic, specifically, the city of Syracuse. Here, he noted that the city officials lived extravagantly and were prone to corruption. Furthermore, the Athenian democracy, in which he noted exceptional bias due to opinion, influenced Plato's thoughts on what made an ideal government. Finally, his past in a political family gave Plato general knowledge of the political process.
Plato's first major dialogue is The Apology, which documents the trial and defense speech of his teacher, Socrates, who, despite proving his innocence using the Socratic method, is found guilty and executed. It is thought that Socrates was found guilty solely because he refused to apologize for his actions. The Apology later became the basis and initial foundations for Plato's meditations on the true definition of justice.
Plato's pinnacle piece is The Republic, his own meditations and thoughts on what justice truly is. The piece also includes a process he conceptualized to create the ideal republic, hence its title. He was most likely influenced by the Athenian democracy, and his past in a political family.
