system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How famous was Plato in his own time?

Reading Plato, I often wonder how many people got to know his magnificent philosophy during his own life time and the generations right after. Were his books 'published' and available outside his academy? If Plato was well known, would his fame reach beyond Athens and Attica?
gpt
We know that most of Plato's work (unlike Aristotle's lecture notes) was written ("published") for an audience of educated Athenians, and that his works were probably read by by contemporary members of different schools in Athens and then within the Roman Empire.(Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus show acquaintance with his work, whether from complete copies or digests is a moot point). Given his immense influence in philosophic thought in the Classical world, one must assume that some or at least portions of his writings were widely available, even though he failed to rise to the "best sellers" list.