👉 Lexiphanes is a term used in ancient Greek philosophy to describe someone who was born with great potential but later lost it due to circumstances beyond their control. This concept was famously used by Plato in his famous dialogue "The Republic" where he describes how the philosopher Posidonius, who had great potential for greatness but lost it through political influence and misfortune. In modern terms, lexiphanes refers to someone whose talents or abilities were initially strong, but then later became diminished due to