Contained in this volume are two works by the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato. The «Protagoras», like several of the Dialogues of Plato, is put into the mouth of Socrates, who describes a conversation which had taken place between himself and the great Sophist at the house of Callias-'the man who had spent more upon the Sophists than all the rest of the world'-and in which the learned Hippias and the grammarian Prodicus had also ...
Boethius's «Consolation of Philosophy» is considered one of the most important and influential works of medieval times. Written during Boethius's year-long imprisonment for treason which would ultimately lead to his torturous execution, «Consolation of Philosophy» is a classical exposition of human nature as Boethius reflects on the treacherous betrayal by his friends that led to his fall from favor with his lord. Presented here in thi ...
Plato's most famous work and one of the most important books ever written on the subject of philosophy and political theory, «The Republic» is a fictional dialogue between Socrates and other various Athenians and foreigners which examines the meaning of justice. Written in approximately 380 BC, «The Republic» also discusses Plato's «Theory of Forms», the nature of the philosopher, the conflict between philosophy and poetry, and the imm ...
"Phaedrus, Apology, Crito, and Symposium": four works of the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato are brought together here in this volume. The Phaedrus is closely connected with the Symposium, and may be regarded either as introducing or following it. The two Dialogues together contain the whole philosophy of Plato on the nature of love. In the Apology we hear the response that Socrates gives in defense at his trial. And in Crito we have ...
"The Art of Literature and The Art of Controversy" is a collection of essays by famed German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. In this work you will find two collections of essays which include the following: On Authorship, On Style, On the Study of Latin, On Men of Learning, On Thinking for Oneself, On Some Forms of Literature, On Criticism, On Reputation, On Genius, The Art of Controversy: (1. Preliminary: Logic and Dialectic, 2. The Basis ...
Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived a lonely life earning him the moniker of the «Weeping Philosopher.» His principal philosophy is embodied in the following statement «No man ever steps in the same river twice,» in other words man faces an ever-present change in the universe. He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that «the path up and down are one and the same.» According to Diogenes, Heraclitus worked ...
Born on June 28, 1712, in Geneva, the French philosopher, novelist and essayist Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most prominent and definitive minds of the Enlightenment. Self-taught, Rousseau dabbled in many fields, keeping journals of his interests in science, mathematics, music, astronomy, botany, music, literature, and philosophy. He achieved sudden success and subsequent fame with his «A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences», a work that ...
A pivotal piece of philosophical literature, «The Critique of Pure Reason» is quite likely Immanuel Kant's greatest work. Kant was a professor of philosophy in the German city of Konisberg during the late 1700s. It was during that time that he penned several works based on his philosophical beliefs of which the greatest is often considered to be this work. Considered by many as one of the most important works of philosophy ever written, «Th ...
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote a strong text to explain his belief system in «The World as Will and Representation.» Rather than viewing the world as a construct within itself, Schopenhauer argued that the world exists beyond the five senses. He believed that rather than seeing an object in its true form, we only see and understand our perception of it. His ideas are classified as post-Kantian philosophy, just one strand of thought ...