Plato (c. 427-347 B.C.E.) was a Greek philosopher who developed distinct areas of philosophy such as epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. His deep influence on Western philosophy is asserted in the famous remark of Alfred North Whitehead: “the safest characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato” . Plato believed that the conflicting interests of different parts of society can be harmonized, and the best, rational, and righteous political order he proposed leads to a harmonious unity of society and allows each of its parts to flourish, but not at the expense of others. He believed that the theoretical design and practical implementation of such an order are impossible without virtue. Plato maintained a virtue-based eudaemonistic conception of ethics, where happiness or well-being (eudaimonia) is the highest aim of moral thought and conduct, and the virtues (aretê: ‘excellence’) are the dispositions/skills needed to attain it. Plato believed in the existence of an immaterial world of perfect objects and Forms (ideas), and his theory of Forms suggests that all objects and concepts in the physical world are imperfect copies of their ideal Forms. Plato also described his version of a perfect society in his work "The Republic," where he supported the government in lying to its people to achieve greater happiness. He believed that only philosophers who have been proven time and time again to make judgments that are in the best interests of society without clouding their judgment with personal interests should be fit to rule. Plato believed that society would work better if none of the guardians (composed of the ruling class and the auxiliaries—those who help the rulers) should own any personal property.