The Alarm Clock Invented by Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato

The great Greek philosopher Plato was the first to realize the need for an awakening device and invented what was the first alarm clock in history.

Plato (ca. 428-ca. 348 BC) had good reason to make such an invention, as he wanted to awaken early and prepare himself for his early morning lectures. He came up with the concept of what we call today the alarm clock. This was, of course, many centuries before clocks were even invented.

What was needed was a lot of critical thinking, knowledge of physics, and a touch of genius. The first ancient Greek hydraulic clock that functioned as an alarm clock was indeed his invention.

According to the writings of Aristotle, Aristoxenus, one of his students who was a musicologist in the second century BC, stated that, “Plato invented the night clock and constructed it in the form of a large hourglass.”

How the Alarm Clock of Plato Worked

The alarm clock of Plato was simple in its function, but it required knowledge of physics to construct it and yield the desired result.

It functioned as an hourglass in which the upper ceramic vessel slowly supplied the next smaller vessel through an outflow funnel precisely calculated for a predefined time. The water level in the container rose slowly.

When the second vessel filled up at the programmed time—let’s say after seven hours—through the internally located axial pipette, it quickly emptied into the next closed vessel and forced the trapped air within to be released while whistling through a tube at its top. In other words, it was very much like a tea kettle.

After this process was completed, the third vessel emptied slowly through a small hole, located at its bottom, towards the lower storage vessel in order to be reused at another time. The mechanism for controlling the liquid level in the container was also a closed control system.

Plato used the alarm clock at night, possibly to mark the start of his dawn teachings.

Plato and Physics

Plato’s approach to physics was through discussions about the world of phenomena, the Cosmos, and man. This was all labeled as “physics.” His themes are set forth in the Timaeus dialogues, one of the most difficult, which appears to be influenced by Pythagoreanism.

For Plato, nature, or the world of phenomena, was that which is always becoming and never is. It is apprehended not by reason and reflection but by opinion with the help of sense. Since it is visible and tangible, it must have been created, and that which is created must have a cause. This cause, according to Plato, is the Father of all who looked to an eternal archetype and built a world which is the fairest of creations with God being the best of causes.

God created the world because he is good and desired that all things should be as much like Himself as possible, Plato believed. He brought order out of chaos, and he put intelligence in soul and soul in body. Furthermore, he framed the universe to be the best and fairest work in the order of nature. Thus, through the providence of God, the world became a living soul and truly rational. These were Plato’s beliefs.

Theory of Forms

Plato’s theory of Forms is the basis of his philosophy. Simply put, it explains how things really are and not how they appear to be.

Plato believed the way things really are is quite different from the way things appear to be. Indeed, the distinction between appearance and reality is arguably the core Platonic distinction.

The Forms are abstract, perfect, unchanging concepts or ideals that transcend time and space. They exist in the Realm of Forms. Although the Forms are abstract, that doesn’t mean they are not real, however. In fact, Plato believed the Forms are much more “real” than any individual physical objects.

Moreover, Plato believed there are two realms, namely, the Realm of the One and the Realm of the Many. He believed that the perfect forms, which are the ideal version of things we see and are capable of touching, are eternal and exist in the Realm of the One. They are spiritual and eternal, and everything in the world is made fashioned after them.

The most important Form is the Form of Good, which illuminates all other Forms and attributes value to them. The Form of Good is the source of all other Forms and all other Forms rely on the Form of Good for their existence.