In the painting "School of Athens", why do you think Raphael chose to paint himself standing among the Greek philosophers, and to paint some of the Greek philosophers to resemble his contemporaries Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci?

The figures in the fresco exemplify Philosophy, Poetry (including Music), Theology, and Law; by including resemblances of his contemporaries, he is comparing their work to the famed philosophers, putting them in the leagues of those with 'divine inspiration'.