Greek Science

Aristotle was an extraordinary thinker, perhaps the greatest in history. Yet he was preoccupied by an ordinary question: how to be happy. His deepest belief was that we can all be happy in a meaningful, sustained way - and he led by example. In this handbook to his timeless teachings, Professor Edith Hall shows how ancient thinking is precisely what we need today, even if you don’t know your Odyssey from your Iliad.

Can we make ourselves into better human beings? Can we help others do the same? And can we get the leaders of our society to care that humanity prospers, not just economically, but also spiritually? These questions have been asked for over two millennia and attempting to answer them is crucial if we want to live a better life and build a more just society. How to Be Good uses the story of Socrates and Alcibiades and examples from Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius and Machiavelli, alongside modern interpretations to explore what philosophy can teach us about the quest for virtue today.

In lucid prose, acclaimed philosopher John Sellars takes us on a journey through Aristotle's thought, vividly bringing to life the key ideas, and demonstrating that the famous philosopher's capacity for curiosity continues to offer us all a vision of more fulfilled lives. Aristotle has lessons still to teach.

Aristotle was the third key figure among the philosophers of Ancient Greece, after Socrates and Plato. Here, extensive sections of the main works for which he is still respected are given, following accessible introductions setting the scene.

For the first time in any modern language, a female scholar and translator reimagines The Art of War. Sun Tzu’s ancient book of strategy and psychology has as much to tell us today as when it was first written 2,500 years ago. In a world forever at odds, his rules for anticipating the motivations and strategies of our competitors never cease to inspire leaders of all kinds.

After their near-fatal battle with Poseidon, Charlotte and Zee would love nothing more than to relax and forget all over again that the Greek gods are real. But with the world in peril and no one else to save it, that just isn’t an option. Charlotte and Zee meet the Prometheans, an ancient brotherhood trying to protect mankind from the whims of the gods, who think they might have finally found a weapon capable of bringing Zeus to his knees. But using this weapon will come at a great cost, one Charlotte and Zee are not willing to pay.

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying. The real story is much more interesting. Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her. Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan.

Rather than confusing you with jargon, which is often the case with other books, this book is a simple-to-follow practical guide on using Stoic philosophy to become more calm, assured, and confident. This book will teach you about the many benefits of a stoic mentality and help you understand that a fulfilling life is found in a lifestyle that aligns with your values and dreams.

Oddonis and his misfit friends don’t exactly love competition and they aren’t exactly athletes. So they’re definitely not excited when their middle school gets challenged to a sports competition by the Roman middle school on the other side of Mount Olympus. It’s bad enough that the Greek Odds have to compete against their Roman twins, but when Zeus and his Roman counterpart, Jupiter, get a little too involved, the Greek and Roman kids end up in a competition over who gets to run the whole mountain.

Hades messed up. It's his fault the Lady of the Underworld left...again. The guy just can't keep a good goddess down. But the Lord of the Dead can't mope about the Underworld while it tears apart. Breaches in the fabric of the afterlife have allowed souls to escape and return to their lives. Something is wrong, and Hades needs Autumn's help for her to become the death goddess to figure it out.

Princess. Priestess. The most beautiful girl in Troy. Cassandra is used to being adored – and when her patron god, Apollo, offers her the power of prophecy, she sees an opportunity to rise even higher. But when she fails to uphold her end of the agreement, she discovers just how very far she has to fall. No one believes her visions. And they all seem to be of one girl – and the war she’s going to bring to Troy’s shores. Helen fled Sparta in pursuit of love, but it’s soon clear Troy is a court like any other, with all its politics and backstabbing.

On the isolated isle of Sarpedon, cold blood under scaly flesh pumps into a creature with snakes for hair, and serpentine features. Cast from society by the wrath of a Goddess, she is shielded by the bodies of stone along the shoreline. They warn off mortals; victims of her curse that had come to harm her.

"Non poche sentenze verissime, diverse considerazioni sottili, molti precetti, e ricordi sommamente utili, oltre una grata semplicità e dimestichezza del dire, fanno assai prezioso e caro questo libricciuolo." Inizia in questo modo la premessa di Giacomo Leopardi, che nel 1825 tradusse "L'Enchiridion" - che significa: oggetto che si tiene in mano - conosciuto come "Manuale di Epitteto".Si tratta di un insieme di regole filosofiche, etiche e stoiche, messe insieme attorno all'anno 100 d.C.

Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes, from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse, continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music. For mythology novices and buffs alike, and for anyone who loves a good story, Don't Know Much About Mythology is a lively and insightful look into the greatest stories ever told.

After years of wondering, I know what I am. A dragon god gifted with the powers of the Greek gods. Unfortunately, their magic is going haywire inside me. If I don’t learn to control it, I can pretty much kiss my life good-bye. Things get a lot more complicated when explosions start tearing apart the Earth in Greece, and I realize that evil witches are up to something deadly. My only hope is to go to the land of the Amazons to seek answers and to unite my magic within me.

Few philosophers have so extensively influenced thought and language as Aristotle. His conception of the universe pervades Christian theology. Knowledge of his thought is necessary to understand Bacon, Galileo and the modern scientific view of nature, as well as Dante and many passages from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. Many phrases such as "liberal education" and "theory" contrasted with "practice" originated with this student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great. Writing to inform the beginner and stimulate the expert, eminent scholar A.E. Taylor presents a searching analysis of Aristotle's thought, including classification of the sciences; formal logic; theory of knowledge; matter and form; the four causes; God; physics; biology; sensation; ethics; theory of the state; the fine arts. He also considers Aristotle's provincialism, errors regarding the nervous system and astronomy, and defense of slavery.

Crito is a dialogue that was written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. It depicts a conversation between Socrates and his wealthy friend Crito of Alopece regarding justice, injustice, and the appropriate response to injustice after Socrates's imprisonment, which is chronicled in the Apology. In Crito, Socrates believes injustice may not be answered with injustice, personifies the Laws of Athens to prove this, and refuses Crito's offer to finance his escape from prison. The dialogue contains an ancient statement of the social contract theory of government.

"The Death of Adonis" is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and one of its most touching stories. Accidentally wounded by one of Eros' arrows, the goddess Aphrodite falls desperately in love with the handsome Adonis, son of a king and a beauty among mortals. Yet his only passion is hunting and he refuses to take her warnings seriously when he hears about a great boar he would love to slay. There is something of the idea of coming of age in this tale, when the moment of realisation brings forth the understanding of what could have been and where the real beauty lays.

Augustine and the Cure of Souls situates Augustine within the ancient philosophical tradition of using words to order emotions. Paul Kolbet uncovers a profound continuity in Augustine's thought, from his earliest prebaptismal writings to his final acts as bishop, revealing a man deeply indebted to the Roman past and yet distinctly Christian. Rather than supplanting his classical learning, Augustine's Christianity reinvigorated precisely those elements of Roman wisdom that he believed were slipping into decadence.

Gehörte der "Menon" in der Antike zu einem der viel gelesenen und ausgedeuteten Dialoge Platons, zählt er heute eher zu den weniger bekannten Dialogen. Dabei enthält er viele wesentliche Aussagen Platons zu Erkenntnistheorie, Heuristik, Ethik und Seinslehre. Im "Menon" veranschaulicht uns Platon, wie all diese Bereiche, die heute gern getrennt voneinander gelehrt und erforscht werden, bei ihm noch unzertrennbar zusammengehören. Paraphrasierend könnte man mit Platons "Menon" sagen: "Ja, Tugend ist lehrbar.