Von der Kürze des Lebens von Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4BC - AD64). Übersetzt durch J. Moser; veröffentlicht 1829. Es ist nicht wenig Zeit, was wir haben, sondern es ist viel, was wir nicht nützen. Über die Kostbarkeit der Zeit, die vielfältigen Arten, wie Menschen dieselbe verschwenden, und wie der Mensch die Frist seines Lebens richtig nutzt. Heute so relevant wie 49 AD. (Zusammenfassung von redaer)...

Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Essay/Short nonfiction, Philosophy

This dialogue brings Socrates face to face with the famous sophist Gorgias and his followers. It is a work likely completed around the time of Republic and illuminates many of the spiritual ideas of Plato. The spirituality, as Jowett points out in his wonderful introduction, has many ideas akin to Christianity, but is more generous as it reserves damnation only for the tyrants of the world. Some of the truths of Socrates, as presented by Plato, shine forth in this wonderful work on sophistry and other forms of persuasion or cookery. (Summary by Kevin Johnson)...

Ancient Texts, Philosophy, Satire

The Apology is Plato's version of the speech delivered by Socrates before the Athenian people in his defence agaist charges of impiety and of misleading others, which ended in his condemnation and death in 399 BC. It is the earliest and most eloquent expression of what has been termed 'philosophical faith', as that love and search for truth which gives meaning to life and trust in the face of death. (Summary by zaaf) Ο Πλάτωνας ήταν σπουδαίος Έλληνας φιλόσοφος και συγγραφέας (427 π.Χ. - 347 π.Χ.), ο γνωστότερος μαθητής του Σωκράτη. Ο Πλάτων έγραψε την Απολογία του Σωκράτους, που θεωρείται ως μια σχετικά ακριβής καταγραφή της απολογίας του Σωκράτη στη δίκη που τον καταδίκασε σε θάνατο....

Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Biography, Memoirs, Philosophy

volunteers bring you 16 recordings of Chorus of Women by Aristophanes. This was the Weekly Poetry project for October 21, 2012. Aristophanes was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. This poem is from the Thesmophoriazusae; meaning Women Celebrating the Festival of the Thesmophoria, sometimes also called The Poet and the Women) (Summary from Wikipedia )...

Ancient Texts, Comedy, Humor, Philosophy, Romance, Poetry

On Generation and Corruption (Ancient Greek: Περὶ γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς, Latin: De Generatione et Corruptione, also known as On Coming to Be and Passing Away) is a treatise by Aristotle. Like many of his texts, it is both scientific and philosophic (although not necessarily scientific in the modern sense). The philosophy, though, is essentially empirical; as in all Aristotle's works, the deductions made about the unexperienced and unobservable are based on observations and real experiences. The question raised at the beginning of the text builds on an idea from Aristotle's earlier work The Physics. Namely, whether things come into being through causes, through some prime material, or whether everything is generated purely through alteration. From this important work Aristotle gives us two of his most remembered contributions. First, the Four Causes and also the Four Elements (earth, wind, fire and water). (Summary Adapted from Wikipedia)...

Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Nature, Philosophy, Science

On the Heavens (Greek: Περί ουρανού, Latin: De Caelo or De Caelo et Mundo) is Aristotle's chief cosmological treatise. In it Aristotle argues that the Earth is a sphere by pointing to the evidence of lunar eclipses. Aristotle also provides a detailed explanation of his theory of 'gravity' arguing that things which contain 'earth' fall towards the centre of the Universe because 'earth' is naturally attracted to the centre of the Universe. Aristotle argues that if the planet Earth was moved to the location of the Moon then objects which contain 'earth' would not fall towards the centre of the Earth but rather towards the centre of the Universe. Aristotle believed that the more 'earth' an object contained the faster it would fall. Aristotle argues that there is another type of matter called 'fire' which is naturally repelled from the centre of the Universe. In addition to his own theories Aristotle expounds the theories of the Pythagoreans (that the Earth is one of the stars and that numbers are the literal building blocks of our world) and Democritus (that matter is made of atoms and objects float because of the motions of these atoms...

Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Science, Nature, Philosophy

Das Dhammapada ist eine Anthologie von Aussprüchen des Buddha. Dabei sind die Verse so ausgewählt, dass sie den Kern der Lehre des Buddha wiedergeben. Es ist einer der bekanntesten Texte dieser Lehre und findet seine weiteste Verbreitung im südlichen Buddhismus. Dort begleitet es die Schüler des Buddha vom Anfang bis zum Ende ihres Pfades. Darüber hinaus ist es ein Meisterwerk sowohl der frühen buddhistischen Literatur als auch der indischen Tradition des Karvya (Belle Lettre)....

Religion, Ancient Texts, Philosophy, Psychology

Yoga sutras by Patanjali is a seminal work in yoga, this book is more about control of mind and the true goal of yoga. The sutras are extremely brief, and the translation in neat English makes it very easy for people to understand the ancient Sanskrit text. It starts with the birth and growth of spiritual man through the control of mind. In all, this is a all in one book for yoga philosophy written by the master himself. (Summary by sidhu177)...

Advice, Ancient Texts, Instruction, Philosophy, Psychology, Science

The Symposium (Ancient Greek: Συμπόσιον) is a philosophical book written by Plato sometime after 385 BCE. On one level the book deals with the genealogy, nature and purpose of love, on another level the book deals with the topic of knowledge, specifically how does one know what one knows. The topic of love is taken up in the form of a group of speeches, given by a group of men at a symposium or a wine drinking party at the house of the tragedian Agathon at Athens. Plato constructed the Symposium as a story within a story within a story. This architecture creates the space for Plato to build his philosophy of knowledge. The speech of Socrates points out that the highest purpose of Love is to become a Philosopher, or Lover of Wisdom. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

Ancient Texts, Philosophy

Die Bhagavadgita ist eine der zentralen Schriften des Hinduismus. Sie hat die Form eines spirituellen Gedichts. Der vermutlich zwischen dem fünften und dem zweiten vorchristlichen Jahrhundert entstandene Text ist eine Zusammenführung mehrerer verschiedener Denkschulen des damaligen Indien auf Grundlage der Veden, der Upanishaden, des orthodoxen Brahmanismus, des Yoga u.a. (Zusammenfassung nach Wikipedia)...

Religion, Ancient Texts, Philosophy, Poetry

An exposition of Epicurus atomic theory and the ethical tenets based upon it. Drawing upon this materialist philosophy, Lucretius cites the fear of death as the cause of man's ills, and shows the way to freedom from that fear. (Summary by bropops4)...

Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Philosophy, Poetry

Laws (Greek: Νόμοι) is Plato's last and longest dialogue. It is generally agreed that Plato wrote this dialogue as an older man, having failed in his effort in Syracuse on the island of Sicily to guide a tyrant's rule, instead having been thrown in prison....

Classics (antiquity), Ancient Texts, Economics/Political Economy, History, Philosophy, Politics