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

Authors

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...

Books by Plutarch

Listen/Download Audiobook

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

Related books

Alexander The Great Cover image

Alexander The Great by Jacob Abbott

Jacob Abbott's book meant for young readers portrays Alexander as a military genius, endowed with remarkable intelligence, physical beauty and courage...

On the Nature of Things (Leonard translation) Cover image

On the Nature of Things (Leonard translation) by Titus Lucretius Carus

On the Nature of Things, composed in the 1st century BCE by Titus Lucretius Carus, encapsulates the core tenets of Epicurean philosophy and science th...

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. II  Cover image

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. II by Edward Gibbon

Gibbons relates in detail the political, martial, social, and theological developments that saw the ultimate split of the Roman Empire, the fall of th...

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...

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times vol 5 Cover image

A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times vol 5 by Francois Guizot

François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (October 4, 1787 -September 12, 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in...

On Duties Cover image

On Duties by Marcus Tullius Cicero

De Officiis (On Duties or On Obligations) is a 44 BC treatise by Marcus Tullius Cicero divided into three books, in which Cicero expounds his concepti...

Quit Your Worrying! Cover image

Quit Your Worrying! by George Wharton James

This book, originally published in 1910, offers a practical guide to overcoming worry and achieving a state of mental tranquility. Drawing on his pers...

The Way of Peace Cover image

The Way of Peace by James Allen

The Way of Peace is a New Thought book written by James Allen. Although Allen is more widely known for his As a Man Thinketh, it is the lesser known T...

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...

Dynamic Thought; Or, The Law of Vibrant Energy Cover image

Dynamic Thought; Or, The Law of Vibrant Energy by William Walker Atkinson, Theron Q. Dumont

Harness the power of your thoughts to create the life you desire. Dynamic Thought; Or, The Law of Vibrant Energy is a classic guide to the power of t...

Reviews for The Morals (Moralia), Book 2

No reviews posted or approved, yet...