← All characters

The Religion of Nature Delineated · Character

Plato

Greek philosopher whose definition of truth as 'that which has real existence' haunts the book's attempt to ground morality in fact.

supporting

Also known as Plato

First appearance: i of moral good and evil

As a supporting figure in The Religion of Nature Delineated, Plato is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referenced for the assertion in the Republic that no man is just voluntarily, and for the Socratic view in the Crito that one should heed the one who knows truth rather than the…
In the storyEndnotesOpen this moment free

He enters through the Eleatic Stranger in the Sophist, defining truth as τὸ ὄντως ὄν — that which really is — a formulation Wollaston borrows to argue that acting rightly means not denying any truth. The tension is metaphysical: if truth is what truly exists, then every lie is a small assault on reality itself. He matters because his equation of truth with being gives the book its most audacious claim.

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

31 connections

A slice of how Plato sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

COClement of Ale…AMA ManLALactantiusSOSocratesATAthenaeusPLPlato

Relationship types

  • Professional
  • Other

Character groups

  • Diverse Philosophical and Historical Exemplars
  • Classical and Biblical Authorities
  • Protagonist

+26 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point

This passage constitutes the narrative climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of the…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Plato in i of moral good and evil

In the story

Plato appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Plato unlock in the free preview.

See Plato in i of moral good and evil