Roman Philosophy

Zufällig trifft Sokrates einen Freund auf der Straße. Ein Gespräch entspinnt sich, in dem Sokrates von seiner Begegnung mit dem weithin bekannten Sophisten Protagoras erzählt. So kurz der Handlungsrahmen wiederzugeben ist, so inhaltsreich das, was Platon in diesem frühen Dialog seinen Lesern zu bieten hat. Im Protagoras lässt Platon Sokrates sich erstmalig mit den Sophisten streiten. Überdeutlich tritt zutage, wo zwischen sokratischer Dialektik und sophistischem Denksport die Unterschiede liegen.

Socrate est un philosophe de la Grèce antique (-470 à -399), considéré comme l'un des inventeurs de la philosophie morale et politique. Il n'a cependant laissé aucune œuvre écrite ; sa philosophie s'est transmise par l'intermédiaire de témoignages indirects (en particulier par les écrits de ses disciples Platon et Xénophon).

For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by peace and freedom from fear, the absence of pain, and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that pleasure and pain are the measures of what is good and evil; death is the end of both body and soul and should therefore not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions of atoms.

For centuries, Stoicism was the unofficial religion of the Roman world. The stress on endurance, self-restraint, and power of the will to withstand calamity can often seem cold-hearted. It is Epictetus, a lame former slave exiled by Emperor Domitian, who offers the most precise and humane version of Stoic ideals. The Discourses, assembled by his pupil Arrian, catch him in action, publicly setting out his views on ethical dilemmas. Enchiridion, or Manual, is a distillation of his teachings and an essential manual for those seeking contentment.

The Tao Te Ching is a compilation of meditations, comprised of 81 short chapters. Each chapter reflects on the beauty and mystical nature of the Tao (the Way). Tao Te Ching (Book of the Way) is one of the oldest written works that provides advice and guidance on perspective, inner strength, divine power, and moral excellence, among other principles of the universe. This 21st-century edition has been translated so that ancient text (originally written in classical Chinese in the fourth century BC) can be understood and enjoyed by the average listener.

Aristotle wrote on everything from the shape of seashells to sterility, from speculations on the nature of the soul to meteorology, poetry, art, and even the interpretation of dreams. Apart from mathematics, he transformed every field of knowledge that he touched. Above all, Aristotle is credited with the founding of logic. When he first divided human knowledge into separate categories, he enabled our understanding of the world to develop in a systematic fashion.

What is at stake is far from insignificant: it is how one should live one's life. Plato's The Republic is widely acknowledged as the cornerstone of Western philosophy. Presented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, it is an inquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. During the conversation, other questions are raised: What is goodness? What is reality? What is knowledge?

Publicada en 1940 y considerada una obra maestra, La vida privada y pública de Sócrates consagró a René Kraus como biógrafo de excepción. René Kraus realiza impagables descripciones del filósofo, de algunos de sus célebres contemporáneos y del ambiente de la ciudad y la época, subrayando la tesis que subyace en esta obra: que los seres excepcionales, incluso cuando son incomprendidos y maltratados en vida, terminan imponiendo su elevado ejemplo moral y proporcionan a la humanidad un horizonte de civilización.

Aristote est un philosophe grec de l'Antiquité. Avec Platon, dont il fut le disciple à l'Académie, il est l'un des penseurs les plus influents que le monde ait connus. Il est aussi l'un des rares à avoir abordé presque tous les domaines de connaissance de son temps : biologie, physique, métaphysique, logique, poétique, politique. Chez Aristote, la philosophie est comprise dans un sens plus large : elle est à la fois recherche du savoir pour lui-même, interrogation sur le monde et science des sciences.

Ancient Stoics lived in a time of turmoil under difficult conditions. So, the solutions they found to living free were tested under very stringent conditions. For example, the author of this handbook was a lame slave who made himself free and happy later in life by following the principles set out in this audiobook.

In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Christopher Taylor explores the life of Socrates and his philosophical activity, before looking to the responses his philosophical doctrines have evoked in the centuries since his betrayal and execution at fellow Athenian hands.

En estas meditaciones que se presentan bajo la forma de cartas a su amigo Lucilio, Séneca, uno de los mayores exponentes del estoicismo, nos invita a un viaje de introspección y reflexión. Escritas en un momento de crisis política y personal, las misivas no solo tratan temas filosóficos como el paso del tiempo y la naturaleza del mundo, sino que ofrecen consejos prácticos sobre cómo vivir una vida serena y feliz, enfrentando la adversidad con entereza y sabiduría.

What is love? In poetry, songs, fiction, movies, psychology, and philosophy, love has been described, admired, lamented, and dissected in endless ways. Is love based on physical attraction? Does it bring out our better selves? How does it relate to sex? Is love divine? Plato's Symposium is one of the oldest, most influential, and most profound explorations of such questions—it is even the source of the idea of "Platonic love."

La pensée antique est au fondement de l'histoire des idées et de la philosophie occidentale. Fondamentalement pratique et axée sur le quotidien, elle est marquée par le stoïcisme et la recherche de la sagesse sous toutes ses formes. Découvrez-en toute la profondeur en 400 citations soigneusement choisies pour présenter sous forme condensée les enseignements majeurs des figures incontournables de la Grèce antique.

Selon Sénèque, la colère serait une courte folie. Mais comment la définir ? Quels sont ses effets délétères ? Peut-on se contenter de la tempérer, ou faut-il essayer de la supprimer ?

The Catholic Church has a history that spans over 2,000 years, and it began with none other than Jesus Christ himself. At least, that is what modern popes believe. But at first, there was just one church, and there was no division between Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, and other branches of Christianity. Christians all over the known world were united, and together, they made their spirituality bloom. Their religion took over the lives of villagers, nobles, kings, queens, and even newly arrived pagan armies that came to conquer Europe.

Alexander the Great changed the world that he knew—but how he did it, and how much of his story is truth and how much is invented, is hard to tell. One of our most important sources for his achievements and personality is Plutarch's Life of Alexander, and this is the first detailed commentary on it for over fifty years, along with a thorough introduction and translation. It is a sister volume to the author's 2011 edition (also in the Clarendon Ancient History Series) of Plutarch's Caesar, the Life paired with Alexander in Plutarch's series of Parallel Lives.

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine, Greece as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement.

In 45 BCE, the Roman statesman Cicero fell to pieces when his beloved daughter, Tullia, died from complications of childbirth. But from the depths of despair, Cicero fought his way back. In an effort to cope with his loss, he wrote a consolation speech—not for others, as had always been done, but for himself. And it worked. Cicero's Consolation was something new in literature, equal parts philosophy and motivational speech.

Take a journey through the ancient history of the Jewish people, a proud and stubborn people who desired to retain their freedom and uniqueness. They fought for this ideal for centuries with various success, but then came the mighty Roman Empire. At first, the Romans were their allies, but they eventually conquered the Jewish state into their vast realm.