Moralia
1500
- ancient ethics
- ancient philosophy
- animals (philosophy)
- biography
- early works to 1800
- ethics
- greek oracles
- greek essays
- greek literature
- intellectual life
The story
The Moralia of the 1st-century Greek scholar Plutarch of Chaeronea is an eclectic collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They provide insights into Roman and Greek life, but often are also timeless observations in their own right.
What it’s like
Unhurried, learned and conversational, with the feel of a candlelit symposium where talk drifts from wine and friendship to the moon's face and the proper treatment of animals. The prose is a clear, measured Greek voice in translation, full of anecdote, quotation and gentle digression, so each short essay reads like one stop on a long evening walk. Its mood is contemplative and companionable, with warm curiosity rather than drama, and it suits a rainy Sunday, a quiet hour before bed, or a slow dip between longer books. There is no plot to follow, only people arguing good-humouredly about how to live, how to be a good friend, and what the gods and the dead might be. Intensity is low: occasional talk of sacrifice, superstition and death, handled reflectively rather than graphically, with no violence on the page. Written for readers who enjoy ancient philosophy, essays and table talk, and anyone who likes thinking alongside a patient, witty mind two thousand years removed.
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