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Its main function was to teach Plato's philosophical understanding, but it also challenged its scholars to develop a new understanding of our universe. This makes it one of the first known institutions that dedicated itself to fundamental discovery about our universe.
====The Establishment of the Academy====
Plato founded the Academy sometime between 390-380 BCE in Athens. Fundamentally, the school served as a place where Plato's philosophies would be taught.<ref>For more on the founding of the Academy, see: Press, Gerald A. 2007. Plato: A Guide for the Perplexed. Guides for the Perplexed. London ; New York: Continuum.</ref> The Academy was initially located in area that was a grove or garden of olive trees that included statues and nearby buildings. The term academy derives from Academus or Hecademus, a mythical hero the garden was dedicated to. This term becomes both the term for Plato's school but also our word for academy and academic.
====Continuity of the Academy====[[File:Plato Academy MAN Napoli Inv124545.jpg|thumbnail|The Skepticism philosophy continued to have Academy as depicted in a strong influence on the Platonic school until 90 mosaic.]]In around 266 BCE, when Antiochus Arcesilaus became the Scholarch or head of Ascalon began to lead the schoolAcademy.<ref>For more on Antiochus and his philosophiesArcesilaus, see: SedleyAlgra, D. N.Keimpe, ed. 20122005. The Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy of Antiochus. 1st pbk. ed. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, pg. 324.</ref> By this point, He developed what became known as the Stoic Skeptical school of Platonism. This period saw influences began to have more of an influence by the Skeptics and Stoics on many philosophical ideas, although the schoolPlatonist skeptics criticized both. Antiochus' main belief was Skepticism saw that the mind can distinguish truth from falsehood. He believed the grounds for knowledgeuniverse was unknowable, its moral and understanding, needs it was folly to be examined and seeking truth were critical and the essence of our being. In many respects, Antiochus believed he was reviving the Old Academy that had been established by Plato's initial ideas. Antiochus' thoughts become influential and he became one of Cicero's chief teachers and influencespursue it.
The Skepticism philosophy continued to have a strong influence on the Platonic school until 90 BCE, when Antiochus of Ascalon began to lead the school.<ref>For more on Antiochus and his philosophies, see: Sedley, D. N., ed. 2012. The Philosophy of Antiochus. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.</ref> By this point, the Stoic influences began to influence the school more. Antiochus' main belief was that the mind can distinguish truth from falsehood. He believed the grounds for knowledge, morals, and understanding need to be examined and seeking truth was critical, and the essence of our being. In many respects, Antiochus believed he was reviving the Old Academy established by Plato's initial ideas. Antiochus' thoughts become influential and he became one of Cicero's chief teachers and influences. <dh-ad/> ====Destruction and Reconstitution====[[File:Athens_Plato_Academy_Archaeological_Site_3.jpg|thumbnail|350px|Archaeological Remains of Plato's Academy in Athens]]In 86 BCE, the school itself was destroyed in a fire that likely occurred during Athens' siege. The Academy proved impossible to reconstruct; however, teaching resumed in Athens by 84 BCE in Ptolemy's gymnasium. The teachings continued to thrive in the Roman Era, as its teaching even influenced Roman officials and others. By the 5th century CE, there was now a movement to re-establish the Academy itself. Ass they were called, the Neoplatonists established the new Academy by 400-410 CE.<ref>For more on the Neoplatonists, see: Gregory, John. 1999. The Neoplatonists: A Reader. 2nd ed. London ; New York: Routledge.</ref> The Neoplatonists believed they were reviving Plato's original ideas; however, they were now influenced themselves by a wide variety of ideas, indicating that there philosophy was not just one central theme. Common beliefs of this new philosophy were that the soul or person was a microcosm of the universe and that this microcosm should strive to making the divine and natural world work better. There are a series of rituals that one goes through that help create a core dedicated to a pure and ethical life that then brings us closer to the divine nature of our existence. The One is seen as the divine source where we must strive to achieve understanding and unity with this source. Many of these ideas were influenced by Eastern mysticism, which blended with emerging concepts of a unified and single universe. This philosophy later becomes very influential in the Medieval period as it gets merged with Christian thinkers and philosophers. Others within this school, however, did not ascribe to all of this or even much of this philosophy, so it is somewhat doubtful that the Neoplatonists were actually one unified school of thought. Nevertheless, the Neoplatonists' presence revived the academy until the reign of Justinian I, who closed all philosophical schools in 529 CE.<ref>For more on Justinian philosophical school closures, see: Adamson, Peter, and Peter Adamson. 2014. Classical Philosophy. First edition. A History of Philosophy without Any Gaps, Peter Adamson ; Vol. 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pg. 259. </ref> Justinian believed the philosophical schools, which had their origins in the polytheistic past, were heretical and, therefore, must be closed. The philosophies of Platonism, however, did survive in the East, as the Eastern Christians adopted many of the philosopher refugees that left the Byzantine Empire during the closure of the philosophical schools. This eventually led these schools to influence the West through the later Medieval period, when some of the philosophies began to merge with Christian thought through a reexamination of the old Classical works. ====Legacy of the Academy====The legacy of the Academy was through the fact it was the first known place where scholars could gather, debate, discuss, and teach about the universe and its understanding.<ref>For more on the legacy of the Academy, see: Power, Edward J. 1991. A Legacy of Learning: A History of Western Education. SUNY Series, the Philosophy of Education. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press, pg. 29.</ref> The concept of higher learning was a new idea when the Academy was established. This is why, ultimately, the word academy is adopted in our own vocabulary. During the Renaissance, a revival of interest in Greek philosophies, in general, led many to reexamine the old texts and teachings of the Greek philosophers and the academy. Some of the philosophies, such as Neoplatonism, also influenced Christian and later thought. The academy's concepts began to influence the developing notion of science and philosophy in the West in the late Medieval period. This led to the eventual establishment of new or modern academies and influenced universities' development in later periods. Although the Academy itself went through different philosophical leanings, the concept of gathering scholars to debate, teach, and learn became a profound influence on Western ideas of creating institutions of higher learning and knowledge. ====References====
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