Following his secondary schooling at Frankfurt's noted Goethe Gymnasium, Plaut enrolled at the University of Frankfurt, where he attended classes taught by the Protestant theologian Paul Tillich and through him became acquainted with the sociologists Theodor Adorno and Norbert Elias.
Following his secondary schooling at Frankfurt's noted Goethe Gymnasium, Plaut enrolled at the University of Frankfurt, where he majored in German literature. He also attended courses taught by the philosopher and Protestant theologian Paul Tillich and through him became acquainted with the sociologists Theodor Adorno and Norbert Elias.