Relaxation and Labour In my time I have seen fathers in whom excessive affection had become the cause of no affection: in their eagerness that their children may the sooner rank first in everything, they lay upon them unreasonable tasks, which the children find themselves unable to perform, and so come to grief; besides, being depressed by their unfortunate experiences, they do not respond to the instruction which they receive. […]
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“Memorabilia” by Xenophon
I find it very interesting to read the respective accounts of Socrates’ life and teachings by Plato and Xenophon. It is sort of like reading in the Gospels the life and teachings of Jesus, from four different perspectives, which provides not only depth of perception, but also the manifold meanings that a single narrative lacks. Xenophon and Plato correspond well with one another in their interpretation of Socrates, the former […]
Read more“On Ends” by Cicero
[Original Latin Title: De Finibus Bonorum Et Malorum; Volume XVII of Loeb Classical Library’s 28-volume series] An Epicurean’s Criticism of Education “[Epicurus] refused to consider any education worth the name that did not help to school us in happiness. Was he to spend his time in perusing poets, who give us nothing solid and useful, but merely childish amusement? Was he to occupy himself like Plato with music and geometry, […]
Read more“Tusculan Disputations” by Cicero
“Life is not an easy matter…. You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.” –Leon Trotsky “Diary in Exile” For Cicero, the Roman statesman who was beset by sorrows and troubles in his old age (death of his beloved daughter, his political exile and […]
Read more“On Obligations” by Cicero
[Original Latin Title: De Officiis] The Roman Book of Proverbs Cicero, in this letter to his son Marcus, discourses on the four cardinal virtues, wisdom (prudence), justice (beneficence), courage (greatness of the soul), and temperance (concept of the fitting). He reflects on Roman politics and history, draws on the writings of philosophers and poets, as well as personal experience, and stipulates how an individual should conduct himself in his private […]
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“Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle
Aristotle vs. Plato Having just finished and enjoyed Plato’s complete works, I find this book a bit annoying and uninspiring in comparison. Aristotle seems to take every opportunity to “correct” Plato, when in fact he is only attacking a strawman. His arguments, sometimes self-contradictory, often support and clarify Plato’s ideas, albeit using his own terminology. Aristotle seems to have great difficulty appreciating or understanding Plato’s abstractions (from species to genus, […]
Read more“Republic” by Plato
One of the best books I’ve ever read. I wish I had read it twenty years ago, but perhaps I would not have appreciated it as much. Although this is one of the most influential books in history, I put off reading it because of a lack of interest in political science. Ironically, another influential book on the subject, “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli, drove me to this, to seek […]
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