Plato’s dialogues are like a world that invites you to explore it. We will begin with one of them, the Philebus, in which Plato suggests that the mind is akin to a book-a book in which a writer writes and a painter paints. We will try to imagine what this book looks like, and then we will draw it. We will look at and discuss one another’s drawings, and then talk about what Plato intended to convey, as well as how we can learn through play-a central theme in his philosophy.

All of this is explored in Cătălin Partenie’s book, Atlantis and Plato’s Children (2025), which aims to inspire you to embark on your own journey into Plato’s world-a world you must see with your own eyes to truly marvel at."

Cătălin Partenie teaches philosophy at the Faculty of Political Science of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest. Together with Petru Creția, he translated Plato’s dialogues Timaeus and Critias. He has edited several volumes, including Plato: Selected Myths (Oxford World’s Classics) and Plato’s Myths (Cambridge University Press). His first novel, Vizuina de Aur (The Golden Den), won two awards and has been published in Romanian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and German. Together with Bogdan Mureșanu, he wrote the screenplay for the short film Paharul cu lapte (The Glass of Milk), which premiered at the Romanian Film Evenings Festival in Iași in 2026.