"The Republic is Plato's masterwork. It was written 2,400 years ago and remains one of the most widely read books in the world, famous for both the richness of its ideas and the virtuosity of its writing. Presented as a dialogue between Plato's teacher Socrates and various interlocutors, it is an exhortation to study philosophy, inviting its readers to reflect on the choices we must make if we are to live the best life available to us. This complex,...

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. While in prison awaiting a brutal execution, Boethius produced arguably the most famous work of early medieval philosophy and literature, the celebrated Consolation of Philosophy. In alternating sections of prose and poetry, Boethius describes the circumstances of his rapid fall from the upper echelons of society and power. In a conversation with lady Philosophy,...

Written sometime during the 4th century BC, "Symposium" is one the most poetic and sublime works by the Greek philosopher Plato. The action of the dialogue is set during a party hosted by the poet Agathon to celebrate his first victory in a dramatic competition. The title 'Symposium', or 'Banquet' refers to the setting of the work, however the more literal translation from the Greek is a 'drinking party.' At this party several notable figures from...

Plato's "Meno" is a Socratic dialogue between the two main speakers, Socrates and Meno, and explores the definition of virtue and whether it is something that can be taught. Meno is an attractive and well-to-do young man visiting Athens and is a student of the sophist Gorgias, who has greatly influenced Meno's ideas on virtue and knowledge. The dialogue begins abruptly with a question posed by Meno, who asks Socrates whether virtue can be taught....

Despite its modern-day connotations of hedonism, "Epicureanism" has more to do with living a mindful, uncomplicated life. Epicurus - who was born at Samos, Greece, in 341 BC and died at Athens in 270 BC - founded a school of philosophy that focused on maximizing simple pleasures and minimizing pain, such as the irrational fear of death. "Death is nothing to us," declared Epicurus, "since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we...

Philip Freeman is the author of more than twenty books on the ancient world, including the Cicero translations How to Be a Friend, How to Grow Old, and How to Run a Country (all Princeton). He holds the Fletcher Jones Chair as a Professor of Humanities at Pepperdine University and lives in Malibu, California. A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero's influential writings on the Stoic idea of the divine Most ancient Romans were deeply religious...

MEDITATIONS (Medieval Greek: Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν Ta eis heauton, literally "to himself") is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium,...

Josiah Osgood is professor and chair of classics at Georgetown University and the author of many books, including Rome and the Making of a World State, 150 BCE–20 BCE. He lives in Washington, DC. What would Caligula do? What the worst Roman emperors can teach us about how not to lead If recent history has taught us anything, it's that sometimes the best guide to leadership is the negative example. But that insight is hardly new. Nearly 2,000...

Emplazado en el contexto dramático de una crisis política del imperio ateniense, el Gorgias es un diálogo donde las habilidades literarias y razonadoras de Platón se combinan de un modo magistral. Sus vívidos y complejos personajes son oradores de ocupación: se ganan la vida enseñando el arte de la persuasión, pero son además hombres políticos que deben hacer uso de dicho arte para conseguir poder en la ciudad. A poco avanzar el diálogo,...

Parece claro que la felicidad es el fin último al que aspira la vida humana. Pero ¿cuál es la verdadera esencia de la felicidad? A esta espinosa cuestión se enfrenta Aristóteles (384 – 322 a. C.) en la Ética a Nicómaco. Resultado de la selección realizada por su hijo Nicómaco con las notas que el propio autor utilizaba para sus lecciones en el Liceo, la obra resume las claves de la reflexión moral de su autor. Y aún más meritorio es...