Philosophy Audiobooks

Definitions (Greek: ΟΡΟΙ; Latin: DEFINITIONES) may not have been written by Plato. The text provides what some consider to be occasionally flawed definitions for 186 philosophical terms including wisdom, justice, fortitude, temperance, knowledge, soul and God. Watercolour Painting: The Great Dragon and the Woman Clothed in the Sun by William Blake.

Demodocus (ΔΗΜΟΔΟΚΟΣ) my not have been written by Plato. The author asks the following questions: If citizens are competent to vote correctly then why do they need advisors? If either a complainant or defendant is lying then why is it beneficial to hear the party who is lying instead of just hearing the truthful person? If someone refuses to lend money when asked then who is at fault? Is it a mistake to give credence to a stranger? Painting: Judith Beheading Holofernes by Michelangelo Merisi.

Sisyphus (ΣΙΣΥΦΟΣ) is also known as Upon Taking Counsel and may not have been written by Plato. In this short dialogue Socrates asks Sisyphus: Can a person who knows nothing about a subject consult about that subject? Painting: Susannah and the Elders by Guido Reni.

On Justice (Greek: ΠΕΡΙ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ; Latin: De Justo) may not have been written by Plato. In this five page dialogue Socrates asks his friend if the unjust choose to be wicked or are bad though ignorance. Triptych: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1510.

On Virtue (ΠΕΡΙ ΑΡΕΤΗΣ) may not have been written by Plato. Socrates asks his friend the following questions: If virtue can be taught why were eminent Greeks of the past unable to teach their own children to be good? If virtue is a natural characteristic why aren't there specialists who can identify which children will grow up to become good? Socrates and his friend conclude that virtue must be a divine gift to the individual for the benefit of the state. Painting: The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Book II 2:21:36, III 3:32:37, IV 5:07:12, V 6:36:43

Tusculan Disputations (Latin: TUSCULANARUM DISPUTATIONUM) is divided into five books which discuss death, pain, grief, perturbations and virtue. At issue is whether wise people can always be happy regardless of the apparent evil that fortune throws in their way. Andrew Peabody says the A. and M. in the text may stand for Auditor, Adolescens, Atticus or Aulus and Marcus or Magister. Painting: The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche.

Epinomis (ΕΠΙΝΟΜΙΣ) may not have been written by Plato. The text praises mathematics and astronomy as the purest forms of religious expression by arguing that God implanted mathematical tendencies in humans and that the stars are subject to divine influence. Photograph: Versailles, Maison Close, Petit Place, Mars 1921 (Brothel, Versailles, Petit Place, March 1921) by Eugène Atget.

The thirteen Epistles (Greek: ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΑΙ; Latin: EPISTOLAE) may or many not have been written by Plato. If genuine these letters provide a glimpse into the personal life of Plato including his financial concerns and political involvement with the tyrant Dionysius II. Coded language and hidden messages appear to have been used in the letters making parts difficult to understand. Translated by George Burges. Painting: Portrait of the Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte by Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748 - 1825), 1821. Scanned by The J. Paul Getty Museum.

Minos (ΜΙΝΩΣ) may not have been written by Plato. Socrates and a friend discuss whether laws are established by convention or discovered. Translated by George Burges. Painting: Portrait of Barbara Kressin by Netherlandish Master, active Germany, 1544.

Clitopho is the Latin title the short dialogue which is also known as Clitophon or Cleitophon (ΚΛΕΙΤΟΦΩΝ). Plato may or may not have been the author. Clitopho complains that Socrates is good at exhorting people to justice but not able to make them just. Translated by George Burges. Painting: After the Bath by Edgar Degas.