Greek Science

Im Gorgias, einer der umfangreichsten Dialoge Platons, trifft Sokrates auf eben jenen damals weithin bekannten Rhetor Gorgias. In seiner ihm ganz eigenen Art zieht Sokrates Gorgias sogleich in ein Gespräch über die Frage, was die Redekunst eigentlich sei und ob man sie tatsächlich eine Kunst nennen dürfe. Mit der dialektischen Gesprächsmethode der Erkenntnisfindung überfordert, reicht Gorgias schon bald das Wort an seinen Begleiter Polos weiter, der nach Kräften bemüht ist, die Rhetorik in ihrer staatstragenden Bedeutung gegenüber Sokrates zu verteidigen - jedoch ohne Erfolg.

Plato is perhaps the most significant philosopher who has ever lived, and The Republic, composed in Athens in about 375 BC, is widely regarded as his most famous dialogue. Its discussion of the perfect city and the perfect mind laid the foundations for Western culture and, for over 2,000 years, has been the cornerstone of Western philosophy.

Dating from the third century AD, Artemidorus’ The Interpretation of Dreams (Oneirocritica) is the only dream-book from Graeco-Roman antiquity that has survived intact. It represents the most influential pre-Freudian treatment of dreams and the theory of their interpretation. In the ancient world it was widely believed that some dreams had allegorical significance that, if correctly interpreted, offered insight into the future. Artemidorus makes a clear distinction between predictive and non-predictive dreams, setting out the general principle of interpretation.

Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, and the other denizens of Mount Olympus feel almost as present and larger than life today as they did when they were worshipped as gods. Humanity has been telling and retelling stories about the characters from Greek and Roman myth for centuries—heck, the Romans liked the Hellenic originals so much, they remade them faster than Marvel remakes Spider-Man movies. And from Virgil's Aeneid to Xena: Warrior Princess to Percy Jackson to The Song of Achilles, the obsession has never waned.

La pensée stoïcienne est avant tout une médecine de l'âme. Toute entière tendue vers l'application pratique, c'est un véritable manuel de vie, qui nous donne les clefs pour nous détacher de la souffrance quotidienne et nous approcher de la sagesse d'une vie vertueuse. Les écrits stoïques sont parvenus jusqu'à nous sous forme de fragments, qui contiennent chacun l'essence des enseignements dont nous avons besoin aujourd'hui pour rentrer dans la pensée de ses grands auteurs.

Before Manisha, the youngest of three sisters, was sent to hide on the floating mountain, her eldest sister, Eshani, made a deal with the shades. In order to save her people in the midst of a tragic war, she exchanged her life for theirs. Now, years later, the shades claim their due, dragging Eshani into the Nightmare Realm where she must find the Gatekeeper to fulfill her end of the bargain. Nothing is as it seems in a land filled with ravenous monsters, ghoulish residents, and a river full of the dead. But most terrifying of all is the Shadow King.

Who doesn't worry sometimes that smart phones, the Internet, and TV are robbing us of time and preventing us from having a life? How can we make the most of our time on earth? In the first century AD, the Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger offered one of the most famous answers to that question in his essay "On the Shortness of Life"—a work that has more to teach us today than ever before.

The original Latin name of this important essay by Seneca, written around 60 CE, was De Beneficiis, which is why it is generally translated as ‘On Benefits'. However, it is more usefully titled ‘On Favours', because this is what it is essentially about: the giving and receiving of favours, with all the implications of such transactions.

The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich, and varied one, in which a constant note is that of discussion and argument. This book introduces listeners to some ancient debates to engage with the ancient developments of some themes. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book gives listeners a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy and of its wide variety of themes and styles.

In The Republic, Socrates is asked the question: "What is justice?" And in order to answer it, he draws a long and detailed analogy between the individual and the city. Plato’s work forms the foundation of Western philosophy and covers a wide range of topics including political theory and ethics, with extended digressions into artistic and literary criticism, the theory and practice of education as well as epistemology and metaphysics.

The Trial and the Death of Socrates remains a powerful document not least because it gives a first-hand account of the end of one of the greatest figures in history.

In Apology, Socrates defends himself before the Athenian court against charges of corrupting youth. Phaedo is the account by a young man of the actual last words and moments of Socrates.

The Greek Gods are dead, but their legacy remains. Kairos, pirate lord of Histria, is concerned. A dungeon on his island turns out to be the last entrance to the Underworld, full of wealth and dangers; while beyond the sea the Poison King Mithridates builds up his forces. Enemies old and new prepare for a new war that will determine who shall replace the fallen Olympians. And Kairos is determined to be on the winning side.

The essays contained in this volume treat of various subjects. With the exception of perhaps one we must consider all these papers as fragments. Written during the early Seventies, and intended mostly as prefaces, they are extremely interesting, since traces of Nietzsche's later tenets - like Slave and Master morality, the Superman - can be found everywhere. But they are also very valuable on account of the young philosopher's daring and able handling of difficult and abstruse subjects.

El Kybalión es un documento que contiene el conjunto de enseñanzas de la filosofía hermética, también conocidos como los siete principios del hermetismo. Escrito en los albores del siglo XX, su autoría se debe a un grupo anónimo de personas autodenominados Los tres Iniciados, aunque las bases del hermetismo se atribuyen a un alquimista de algunas logias ocultistas llamado “Hermes Trismegisto”, cuya existencia pudo haber transcurrido en Egipto antes de la época de los faraones.

Lia is always prepared for battle, but being blackmailed into marriage by Prince Alexandros is a challenge too far. She has no choice. He’s holding her sister hostage to force her hand. But with this union built on betrayal and rage comes a contract. By the goddess’s law, the marriage must not be consummated. A relief to Lia. She’d rather commit regicide than fall into bed with a man she loathes.

Over two millennia after its compilation, the Politics still offers much to consider with regards to political science. Aristotle's succinct and thoughtful analysis is based on his study of over 150 city constitutions and covers the gamut of political issues in order to establish which types of constitution are best, ideally as well as for particular circumstances, and how they may be maintained.

How to Say No is a delightful collection of brief ancient writings about Cynicism that captures all the outrageousness, wit, and wisdom of its remarkable cast of characters—from Diogenes in the fourth century BCE to the column-stander Symeon Stylites in late antiquity.

In the divided world of Cādra, where the winged Volari rule over the earthbound Süra, Tanwen has never relished her life of secrecy, but hiding is her only means of survival. As the child of a forbidden union, her very existence is punishable by death. As the Crown Prince, Zolya is forced to fulfill his father’s every whim. Acting on orders, he captures Tanwen’s father and brother, whisking them away to his kingdom in the sky. Determined to save her family, Tanwen infiltrates the royal court disguised as a servant.

War has come to Kairos' doorstep right as his dynasty seems secure. The Poison Emperor Mithridates has launched his conquest of the Sunsea, sowing death and destruction in his path. The vile Romulus feeds on the chaos in the hope of freeing his dreadful master, the wolf-god Lycaon. As his final battle approaches, Kairos gathers his many allies to face his foes once and for all. Two would-be pantheons will now clash to determine which of them will inherit the Olympians' throne. At the apex of the world, there is only enough space for one.

The Laches is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato. Participants in the discourse present competing definitions of the concept of courage or "manliness".