Audiobook15 hours
Moralia: Volume 2: 17 Varied Essays
Written by Plutarch
Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this audiobook
Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (46 ce - after 119) was born in Chaeronea, Boeotia, to a wealthy Greek family and assumed his full Latin name on becoming a Roman citizen. He made the most of his varied background and experience as a philosopher, magistrate, ambassador and priest at the Delphic Temple of Apollo, to become one of the most important biographers and essayists of classical Greek and Roman times. His Parallel Lives, which recounts and describes the personalities and achievements of the great figures of the era, is his most well-known (and voluminous) text. But Moralia, his collection of essays on a rich variety of subjects, continues to fascinate and educate.
Volume 2 comprises 17 essays which are arguably even wider ranging than the Ethical Essays in Volume 1, opening with ‘On Listening to Lectures', in which he warns against the habit of ‘the great majority of persons who practise speaking before they have acquired the habit of listening'. Plutarch is didactic, entertaining, informative and at times controversial. He considers atheism in ‘Superstition', asks ‘Were the Athenians more famous in War or in Wisdom?' and in ‘On Love of Wealth' confirms that money can't buy you love: nor ‘peace of mind, greatness of spirit, serenity, confidence, and self-sufficiency'.
Plutarch's fascination with history and biography is also apparent here with some absorbing tales in ‘Sayings of Kings and Commanders', ‘Sayings of Spartan Women' and ‘Bravery of Women'. Taking another tack, he turns his attention to the political sphere in ‘A Philosopher ought to Converse especially with Men in Power'. And he gives advice ‘To an Uneducated Ruler', pointing out that ‘most kings and rulers are so foolish as to act like unskillful sculptors, who think their colossal figures look large and imposing if they are modelled with their feet far apart, their muscles tense, and their mouths wide open' - advice that is just as relevant to rulers in the 21st century. Throughout these essays there is humour, whimsy and wisdom, but above all Plutarch demonstrates an engaging humanity in his survey of man, in all his greatness and his foibles. Matthew Lloyd Davies is an ideal representative.
Translations by Richard Shilleto.
Volume 2 comprises 17 essays which are arguably even wider ranging than the Ethical Essays in Volume 1, opening with ‘On Listening to Lectures', in which he warns against the habit of ‘the great majority of persons who practise speaking before they have acquired the habit of listening'. Plutarch is didactic, entertaining, informative and at times controversial. He considers atheism in ‘Superstition', asks ‘Were the Athenians more famous in War or in Wisdom?' and in ‘On Love of Wealth' confirms that money can't buy you love: nor ‘peace of mind, greatness of spirit, serenity, confidence, and self-sufficiency'.
Plutarch's fascination with history and biography is also apparent here with some absorbing tales in ‘Sayings of Kings and Commanders', ‘Sayings of Spartan Women' and ‘Bravery of Women'. Taking another tack, he turns his attention to the political sphere in ‘A Philosopher ought to Converse especially with Men in Power'. And he gives advice ‘To an Uneducated Ruler', pointing out that ‘most kings and rulers are so foolish as to act like unskillful sculptors, who think their colossal figures look large and imposing if they are modelled with their feet far apart, their muscles tense, and their mouths wide open' - advice that is just as relevant to rulers in the 21st century. Throughout these essays there is humour, whimsy and wisdom, but above all Plutarch demonstrates an engaging humanity in his survey of man, in all his greatness and his foibles. Matthew Lloyd Davies is an ideal representative.
Translations by Richard Shilleto.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 14, 2020
ISBN9781004134236
Related to Moralia
Related audiobooks
The Praise of Folly/Against War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dawn of Day: Thoughts on the Prejudices of Morality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoralia: Volume 1: 26 Ethical Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHuman, All to Human Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNicomachean Ethics and Eudemian Ethics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Socratic Dialogues: Middle Period: Volume 2: Phaedrus, Cratylus, Parmenides Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Socratic Dialogues: Middle Period: Volume 3: The Republic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Classic Collection of Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling, Philosophical Fragments, Sickness Unto Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Essays: Or Counsels Civil and Moral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlato’s Greater Hippias Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Ends of Good and Evil Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtilitarianism/On Liberty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Soul & Parva Naturalia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApology and Memorabilia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Anger, on Leisure, on Clemency: Essays, Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelections from Parerga and Paralipomena: Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Antichrist, Ecce Homo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPosterior Analytics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World as Will and Idea: Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFirst Principles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World as Will and Idea: Volume 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Essay Concerning Human Understanding Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlato’s Ion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEpicurus of Samos: His Philosophy and Life: All the Principal Source Texts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehind the Mask, Beyond the Mind: Discover who your really are. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMetaphysics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInitiation Into Philosophy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tao of Pooh Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Many Lives, Many Masters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mastering Logical Fallacies: The Definitive Guide to Flawless Rhetoric and Bulletproof Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Communicating Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dao De Jing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/512 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson - Book Summary: An Antidote to Chaos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Life Is a 4-Letter Word: Laughing and Learning Through 40 Life Lessons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People of the Lie Vol. 1: Toward a Psychology of Evil Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The More of Less Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brain Training with the Buddha: A Modern Path to Insight Based on the Ancient Foundations of Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Moralia
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews