Book Cover of The Morals (Moralia), Book 2

The Morals (Moralia), Book 2

by Plutarch

The Moralia (loosely translatable as "Matters relating to customs") of the 1st-century Greek scholar Plutarch of Chaeronea is an eclectic collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They give an insight into Roman and Greek life, but often are also fascinating timeless observations in their own right. Many generations of Europeans have read or imitated them, including Montaigne and the Renaissance Humanists and Enlightenment philosophers. The Moralia include "On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander the Great" — an important adjunct to his Life of the great general — "On the Worship of Isis and Osiris" (a crucial source of information on Egyptian religious rites), and "On the Malice of Herodotus" (which may, like the orations on Alexander's accomplishments, have been a rhetorical exercise), in which Plutarch criticizes what he sees as systematic bias in the Father of History's work; along with more philosophical treatises, such as "On the Decline of the Oracles", "On the Delays of the Divine Vengeance", "On Peace of Mind" and lighter fare, such as "Odysseus and Gryllus", a humorous dialog between Homer's Odysseus and one of Circe's enchanted pigs. The Moralia were composed first, while writing the Lives occupied much of the last two decades of Plutarch's own life. Some editions of the Moralia include several works now known to be pseudepigrapha: among these are the "Lives of the Ten Orators" (biographies of the Ten Orators of ancient Athens, based on Caecilius of Calacte), "The Doctrines of the Philosophers", and "On Music". One "pseudo-Plutarch" is held responsible for all of these works, though their authorship is of course unknown. Though the thoughts and opinions recorded are not Plutarch's and come from a slightly later era, they are all classical in origin and have value to the historian. The book is also famously the first reference to the problem of the chicken and the egg.
Books in 'The Morals (Moralia)' series
The Morals (Moralia), Book 2 by Plutarch

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

Greek

Published In

100 AD

Author

Plutarch image

Plutarch

Greece

Plutarch was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo. He is known primarily for his Parallel Lives, a series of biographies of illustr...

More on Plutarch

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Industrial Conspiracies  Cover image

Industrial Conspiracies by Clarence Darrow

This address was delivered shortly after Mr. Darrow's triumphant acquittal on a charge growing out of his defense of the McNamaras at Los Angeles, Cal...

Laugh and Live Cover image

Laugh and Live by Douglas Fairbanks

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such...

The Victorious Attitude Cover image

The Victorious Attitude by Orison Swett Marden

Dr. Marden tells how we can live up to our potential just by changing our attitude, from the normal attitude of I CAN'T to one of I CAN! To do this we...

Above Life's Turmoil Cover image

Above Life's Turmoil by James Allen

Combining elements of Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism with concepts dealing with self-discipline, motivation and the power of positive thinking, J...

Meditations Cover image

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and philosopher who wrote Meditations; insights which were considered to give the meaning of life. The book was no...

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times vol 4 Cover image

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times vol 4 by Francois Guizot

François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolutio...

History of Egypt Cover image

History of Egypt by Frederick C.H. Wendel

The history of Egypt from the earliest times to the conquest by Alexander the Great, covering the development of Egyptian civilization: science, relig...

Living on Half a Dime a Day Cover image

Living on Half a Dime a Day by Sarah Elizabeth Harper Monmouth

How Lizzie Monmouth surmounted her poverty is an equally fascinating tale. She had an artistic bent and a knack for creating folk art from found mater...

Damn! A Book of Calumny  Cover image

Damn! A Book of Calumny by H.L Mencken

In Damn! A Book of Calumny, H.L. Mencken gives his opinion on a wide variety of subjects ranging from William Jennings Bryan, through Classical Music,...

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times vol 2 Cover image

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times vol 2 by Francois Guizot

François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolutio...

Reviews for The Morals (Moralia), Book 2

No reviews posted or approved, yet...