The\" Death of Socrates\" in Diderot and the Eighteenth Century Philosphers

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The\ This dissertation has been 64—1246 microfilmed exactly as received CALESI, Vasile, 1926- THE "DEATH OF SOCRATES" IN DIDEROT AND THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY PHILOSOPHERS. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1963 Language and Literature, Modem University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan THE "DEATH OF SOCRATES" IN DIDEROT AND THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY PHILOSOPHERS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University Vasile Calesi, A.B., A. M. The Ohio State University 1963 Approved by a /I Adviser DeAaiftmentspai of Romance Languages \J TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. THE FIRST GERM OF THE SOCRATTC MYTH IN DIDEROT......... 1 II. VINCENNES AND THE APOLOGY ............................ 19 III. THE DEATH OF SOCRATES IN DIDEROT'S LA PQBSIB DRAMATIQUE. "D'UNE SORT DE DRAME PHILOSOPHIQOE".................... 35 IV. LA MORT DE SOCRATE IN DIDEROT'S "DE LA PANTOMIME" .... 44 V. SOCRATES IN DIDEROT'S WORKS AFTER 1758 ................ 54 VI. ROUSSEAU AND SOCRATES ................................ 79 VII. VOLTAIRE'S TREATMENT OF THE "DEATH OF S O C R A T E S " ........ 101 VIII. THE ENCYCLOPEDISTS AND THE ANTI-PHILOSOPHIC GROUP .... 128 IX. VOLTAIRE'S TRAGEDY, LA MORT DE SOCRATE................. 154 X. SAUVIGNY'S LA MORT DE SOCRATE ...................... 189 XI. LINGUET'S SOCRATE .......................... 208 XII. BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE........................... 228 XIII. GALIANI AND A L F I E R I ..................... 246 XIV. CONCLUSION................... 267 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................... 274 ii CHAPTER ONE THE FIRST GERM OF THE SOCRATEC MTTH IN DIDEROT The life of a great man, particularly when he belongs to another age, can never be a mere record of undisputed fact. Even when such facts are plentiful, the biographer's real task is one of interpretation. He must penetrate behind these events and find the purpose and character which they disclose, but he can reach these facts only through an effort of constructive imagination. In the case of Diderot, many critics and biographers have attempted to reconstruct his life and whereabouts prior to 1743, but they have often needed all the strength of their imagina­ tion to do so. There are many blank places in their biographies, for Diderot himself did not say much about those years. Although there is not much evidence concerning his life before 17^3, when he translated Temple Stanyan's History of Greece from English, it would be helpful for us to investigate these early years in an attempt to establish how and when the idea of Socrates' life, and especially his death, took shape in Diderot's mind— ideas which brought him to the point of identifying him­ self with the Greek philosopher in his later years and of adopting the title of "le Philosophe" of his time. Raring the first half of the eighteenth centuxy, a philosopher was considered a threat to society; and this factor became a strong weapon in the hands of religious writers and anti-philosophers. When Voltaire's 1 Lettres philosophiQues appeared, the work was condemned by parliament as: Propres & inspirer le libertinage le plus dangereux pour la religion et l*ordre de la soci£t£ civile.^ Hie Dictionnaire de l’Academie francalse (editions 169^, 173-8, and 1?40), after giving the standard Aristotelian and Stoic definition, i.e., the philosopher seeks to understand things by their first causes and princi­ ples, the philosopher leads a calm, secluded, modest life, practicing the virtues of moderation and serenity, continues as follows: II se dit aussi quelquefois absolument, d'un homme, qui, par libertinage d*esprit, se met au desaus des devoirs et des obliga­ tions ordinaires de la vie civile et chretienne. C ’est un homme qui ne se refuse rien, qui ne se contraint sur rien, et qui mene une vie de philosophe. Hie Dictionnaire de trevoux. 1771, which has a milder tone, nevertheless expresses a hostile attitude toward the philosopher, as we can see from the following passage: 11 se prend quelquefois dans un mauvais sens, et signifie, dur, insensible, misanthrope. "Generis humani osor." Cela est un peu bien philosophe: Ce Chagrin philosophe est un peu trop sauvage. Another passage states: Se dit quelquefois ironiquement d'une homme bourru, crotte, incivil, qui n'a aucun egard aux devoirs, et aux bienseances de la societe civile. Hierefore, we see from the above that, when Diderot appeared for the first time in the domain of letters, the term "philosophe" often had a pejora­ tive connotation. ^Joseph Poramier, Diderot avant Vincennes (Paris: Ancienne Librairie Furne, Boivin & Cie., 1939)* p« 81. The philosophic group, either because they were aware of their inability to fight this hostility or because they were in agreement with the above definitions of a "philosophe," apparently did not try to prove these definitions false. Instead, in the article "Philosophe” in the Encyclopedie. they made a clear distinction between three types of philosophers: (a) II n*y a rien qui coute moins a acquerir aujourd’hui que le nom de philosophe; une vie obscure et retiree, quel- ques dehors de sagesse, avec un peu de lecture, suffisent pour attirer ce nom & des personnes qui s*en honorent sans le m£riter. (b) D’autres en qui la liberty de penser tient lieu de raisonne- ment, se regardent comme les seuls v^ritables "philosophes," parce qu'ils ont ose renverser les bornes sacrees posees par la religion, et qu*ils ont brise les entraves ou la foi mettoit leur raison. Flers de s’etre defaits des prejuges de 1*education, en matiere de religion, ils regardent avec mlpris les autres commes des ames foibles, des genies ser- viles, des esprits pusillanimes qui se laissent effrayer par les consequences ou conduit l ’irreligion, et qui n'osant sortir un instant du cercle des vlrites etablies, ni marcher dans des routes nouvelles, s'endorment sous le joug de la superstition. It is evident from the above definitions that the Encyclopedists or, better stated, the philosophers were in agreement with the anti- philosophic group with regard to some people who called themselves "philosophes" while in reality they were not. This type of "philosophe" was the main cause of the pejorative connotation that the word had acquired. To live a secluded life and to have a little education are not sufficient to make a "philosophe," at least not for Diderot, as we shall see. On the other hand, atheism or revolt against established religions and political principles alone are not enough for the title of "philosophe." As for Diderot) a "philosophe" must be a complete, all- around person. To support this, we shall take the third definition that was given in the "Philosophe." While the two dictionaries cited above did not have a definition of a true "philosophe," except the standard Aristotelian definition as mentioned, the Ehcyclopedle gives a defini­ tion where the image of a "philosophe" is portrayed in the manner of Diderot: (c) Mais on doit avoir une idle plus juste du "philosophe," et v o i d le caractere que nous lui donnons: Les autres hommes sont determines A agir sans sentir, ni connoitre les causes qui les font mouvoir, sans meme songer qu'il y en ait. Le "philosophe" au contraire demele les causes autant qu*51 est en lui, et souvent meme les previent,et se livre A elles avec connoissance: c'est une horloge qui se monte, pour ainsi dire, quelques fois elle-meme. Ainsi il evite les objets qui peuvent lui causer des sentiments qui ne conviennent ni au bien-etre, ni a l'etre raisonnable, et cherche ceux qui peuvent exciter en lui des affections eonvenables a l'etat ou il se trouve. La raison est & l'lgard du "philosophe," ce que la grace est A l'egard du Chretien. La grace determine le chrltien \ agir; la raison determine le "philosophe." The words "c*est une horloge qui se monte elle-meme" describe admirably the complexity and wholeness of a true "philosophe." Feelings alone, just as reason alone, are not enough to make a "philosophe." A true "philosophe" must have the combination of both. Although the article "Philosophe" in the Bncyclopldle was not written by Diderot, it expresses his ideas. He was the editor of the publication, and as such, he revised all the articles. In fact, in La Promenade du eceptioue he expresses almost the same idea. In this work, he divides society into three categories, which could veiy well 5 correspond to the three definitions of the "philosophe." The "allee des epines" could represent the first definition, the "all£e des fleurs" the second, and the "allee des narroniers" the third. The inhabitants of the "allrfe des marroniers," i.e., the "philosophes," were the only ones who were not restricted to their realm. They were free to go from one place to another as they pleased, which signifies the wide point of view of the philosopher in regard to things and ideas. This work was written in 1747 but it was not published until 1830. What is important for us in this writing is the fact that, although briefly, the image of Socrates is pre­ sent. When Diderot describes Cleobulus' residence, among the few things that we find in the house is a statue of Socrates: On arrive dans sa retraite par une avenue de vieux arbres qui n'ont jamais £prouv£ les soins ni le ciseau du jardinier. Sa maison est construite avec plus de gout que de magnificence. Les appartements en sont moins spacieux que commodes; son ameublement est simple, mais propre. II a des livres en petit nombre. Un vestibule, o m e des bustes de Socrate, de Platon, d'Atticus, de Ciceron, etc. Later we shall see that the same picture, but in more detail, is expressed in Mimosa's dream in Les Bi.ioux indiscrets.
Recommended publications
  • The Trial and Death of Socrates : Being the Euthyphron, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Plato
    LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO /?. (Boffcen THE TRIAL & DEATH OF SOCRATES *O 5' dve^Tcurroj /3toj ov /Siwrds cu>0p(j!nrip ' An unexamined life is not worth living.' (PLATO, Apol. 38 A. ) THE TRIAL AND DEATH OF SOCRATES BEING THE EUTHYPHRON, APOLOGY, CRITO, AND PH^EDO OF PLATO TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY F. J. CHURCH, M.A. LONDON MACMILLAN AND CO. AND NEW YORK 1895 [ All rights reserved.] First Edition printed 1880 Second Edition, Golden Treasury Series, 1886 Reprinted 1887, 1888, 1890, 1891, 1892, March and September 1895 PREFACE. THIS book, which is intended principally for the large and increasing class of readers who wish to learn something of the masterpieces of Greek literature, and who cannot easily read them in Greek, was originally published by Messrs. Macmillan in a different form. Since its first appearance it has been revised and corrected throughout, and largely re- written. The chief part of the Introduction is new. It is not intended to be a general essay on Socrates, but only an attempt to explain and illustrate such points in his life and teaching as are referred to in these dialogues, which, taken by themselves, con- tain Plato's description of his great master's life, and work, and death. The books which were most useful to me in writing it are Professor Zeller's Socrates and the Socratic Schools, and the edition of the VI PREFACE. Apology by the late Rev. James Riddell, published after his death by the delegates of the Clarendon Press. His account of Socrates is singularly striking.
    [Show full text]
  • The Poverty of Socratic Questioning: Asking and Answering in the Meno
    University of Cincinnati University of Cincinnati College of Law Scholarship and Publications Faculty Articles and Other Publications College of Law Faculty Scholarship 1994 The oP verty of Socratic Questioning: Asking and Answering In The eM no Thomas D. Eisele University of Cincinnati College of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.uc.edu/fac_pubs Part of the Legal Education Commons Recommended Citation Eisele, Thomas D., "The oP verty of Socratic Questioning: Asking and Answering In The eM no" (1994). Faculty Articles and Other Publications. Paper 36. http://scholarship.law.uc.edu/fac_pubs/36 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Law Faculty Scholarship at University of Cincinnati College of Law Scholarship and Publications. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Articles and Other Publications by an authorized administrator of University of Cincinnati College of Law Scholarship and Publications. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE POVERTY OF SOCRATIC QUESTIONING: ASKING AND ANSWERING IN THE MEND Thomas D. Eisele* I understand [philosophy 1 as a willingness to think not about some­ thing other than what ordinary human beings think about, but rather to learn to think undistractedly about things that ordinary human beings cannot help thinking about, or anyway cannot help having occur to them, sometimes in fantasy, sometimes asa flash across a landscape; such things, for example, as whether we can know the world as it is in itself, or whether others really know the nature of one's own experiences, or whether good and bad are relative, or whether we might not now be dreaming that we are awake, or whether modern tyrannies and weapons and spaces and speeds and art are continuous with the past of the human race or discontinuous, and hence whether the learning of the human race is not irrelevant to the problems it has brought before itself.
    [Show full text]
  • A Moderately Ironic Reading of Xenophon's Oeconomicus
    David M. JOHNSON Ischomachus the Model Husband? A Moderately Ironic Reading of Xenophon's Oeconomicus Xenophon's Oeconomicus is usually considered a treatise on household management masquerading as a Socratic dialogue (Pomeroy). But for others the reverse is true (Strauss and the Straussians; see also Mackenzie and Nails in EMC 1985, Too's review of Pomeroy in CR 1995, and the less orthodox Straussian Stevens). How one comes down on this issue will obviously affect one's evaluation of Ischomachus' relationship with his wife, and of Xenophon as a Socratic writer. I argue that the Oeconomicus is both Socratic and economic, both didactic and ironic. Xenophon chose Ischomachus because both his virtues and his vices have much to teach Critobulus, Socrates' immediate interlocutor, and Xenophon's readers. Our Ischomachus is probably the man whose wife went on to become the Chrysilla who would marry and bear a son to her son-in-law Callias, driving her daughter to attempt suicide (Andocides 1.124-127). There may be evidence for this in Oeconomicus itself. Callias would fall for Chrysilla again when she was "an old battleaxe" (Andocides 1.127); Ischomachus promises his wife that she can maintain her status even in old age (Oec. 7.20). The scandals which would beset Chrysilla and her children may shed light on Ischomachus' otherwise odd failure to say much about children to the wife he had married in large part for the sake of children. There are other ironies. Ischomachus hardly shares Socrates' understanding of property as that one knows how to use. Critobulus, in fact, is evidently already rich enough in conventional terms: he needs another sort of help.
    [Show full text]
  • New Working Papers Series, Entitled “Working Papers in Technology Governance and Economic Dynamics”
    Working Papers in Technology Governance and Economic Dynamics no. 74 the other canon foundation, Norway Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance CONTACT: Rainer Kattel, [email protected]; Wolfgang Drechsler, [email protected]; Erik S. Reinert, [email protected] 80 Economic Bestsellers before 1850: A Fresh Look at the History of Economic Thought Erik S. Reinert, Kenneth Carpenter, Fernanda A. Reinert, Sophus A. Reinert* MAY 2017 * E. Reinert, Tallinn University of Technology & The Other Canon Foundation, Norway; K. Car- penter, former librarian, Harvard University; F. Reinert, The Other Canon Foundation, Norway; S. Reinert, Harvard Business School. The authors are grateful to Dr. Debra Wallace, Managing Director, Baker Library Services and, Laura Linard, Director of Baker Library Special Collections, at Harvard Business School, where the Historical Collection now houses what was once the Kress Library, for their cooperation in this venture. Above all our thanks go to Olga Mikheeva at Tallinn University of Technology for her very efficient research assistance. Antiquarian book dealers often have more information on economics books than do academics, and our thanks go to Wilhelm Hohmann in Stuttgart, Robert H. Rubin in Brookline MA, Elvira Tasbach in Berlin, and, above all, to Ian Smith in London. We are also grateful for advice from Richard van den Berg, Francesco Boldizzoni, Patrick O’Brien, Alexandre Mendes Cunha, Bertram Schefold and Arild Sæther. Corresponding author [email protected] The core and backbone of this publication consists of the meticulous work of Kenneth Carpenter, librarian of the Kress Library at Harvard Busi- ness School starting in 1968 and later Assistant Director for Research Resources in the Harvard University Library and the Harvard College 1 Library.
    [Show full text]
  • Le Pour Et Le Contre. Galiani, La Diplomatie Et Le Commerce Des Blés
    Le pour et le contre. Galiani, la diplomatie et le commerce des blés « Il y a quelque subalterne à Naples qui méritent d’être observé, entre autres l’abbé Galiani, qui aspire à jouer un rôle et croit se faire un mérite en s’opposant de tout son petit pouvoir à ce qui intéresse la France. »1 La plupart des études sur l’abbé Galiani, et particulièrement sur ses Dialogues sur le commerce des blés et sa période parisienne, oscillent entre trois grands pôles : l’histoire littéraire2, l’histoire de la pensée économique3; et l’histoire culturelle des Lumières et des sociabilités4. Ces études fondamentales ont ainsi éclairé les liens intellectuels de Galiani avec les écrivains et philosophes (en particulier Diderot et Grimm), le contenu théorique de sa pensée économique, et son inscription dans les cercles mondains de la capitale française. Cependant, une dimension d’importance semble négligée : l’activité diplomatique de l’abbé, qui ne peut être traitée séparément du reste. En effet, non seulement la « république des lettres » était encastrée dans le jeu du pouvoir, mais Ferdinando Galiani avait pour propriété sociale éminente d’être le chargé d’affaire du Royaume des Deux-Siciles, chargé d’informer le gouvernement de son royaume sur le cours des négociations du Pacte de Famille. Sa présence assidue dans les salons parisiens ne témoigne pas seulement de son goût pour la bonne compagnie et la conversation mondaine, mais de son professionnalisme : hors Versailles, nul espace plus propice, en effet, à la fréquentation des grands5. Si le terme diplomate apparaît tardivement, sous la Révolution semble-t-il, pour désigner le métier de représentant d’une puissance étrangère, la réalité professionnelle lui est antérieure6.
    [Show full text]
  • Emily Wilson's the Death of Socrates
    Wilson, Emily. The Death of Socrates. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007. Socrates would be an important figure in the history of philosophy even if all we knew about him was what Aristotle tells us: “[H]e occupied himself with ethics even though he said nothing about the universe, but in the course of his activities he searched for the general (to katholou) and was the first to understand about the concept of boundaries (horismn)” (Metaphysics 987b.1-4). Poets and thinkers before him had thought about ethics. But what made Socrates different is that he was able to devise a process for discovering it that caused him to move away from particulars to general definitions. Without that significant step forward in thought, Plato could never have devised his theory of forms, and Aristotle could not have written his treatises on ethics. But it is not because of his thinking that Socrates has been remembered, as Emily Wilson demonstrates in her lively and entertaining book. Rather, Socrates has remained an inspiration to politicians, thinkers, and artists for more than two millennia because of his death. If he had not died as he did, we would be talking about pre-Platonic rather than pre-Socratic philosophers. But as Plato describes him in the Apology and the Crito, Socrates did nothing to stop himself from being executed. He did not try to flatter and appease the jury. When given an opportunity to propose an alternative punishment, he offered only the trivial sum of one mina. His friend Crito devised a plan that would have allowed him to escape from prison and live the rest of his life in exile, but Socrates again refused to cooperate.
    [Show full text]
  • The Minotaur in Phaedo's Labyrinth: Philosophy's Necessary Myth
    Trinity College Trinity College Digital Repository Trinity Publications (Newspapers, Yearbooks, The Trinity Papers (2011 - present) Catalogs, etc.) 2016 The Minotaur in Phaedo’s Labyrinth: Philosophy’s Necessary Myth Gregory Convertito Trinity College, Hartford Connecticut Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/trinitypapers Part of the Classical Literature and Philology Commons Recommended Citation Convertito, Gregory, "The Minotaur in Phaedo’s Labyrinth: Philosophy’s Necessary Myth". The Trinity Papers (2011 - present) (2016). Trinity College Digital Repository, Hartford, CT. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/trinitypapers/43 The Minotaur in Phaedo’s Labyrinth: Philosophy’s Necessary Myth Gregory Convertito Plato’s Phaedo is a confusing dialogue. It takes place after the Apology and the Crito, on Socrates’s last night before his execution; Socrates has been waiting in prison for a long time due to an Athenian law barring executions during the annual ritual to celebrate Theseus’s mythical victory over the Minotaur. This story of the death of Socrates is embedded in a narration by Phaedo himself, who is relating the story to Echecrates. Socrates, after discussing the soul, the self, immortality, and death with Simmias and Cebes, Pythagorean acquaintances who have come to visit him, drinks the φαρμακον and dies. The myth of the Minotaur—a monster which has the body of a man and the head of a bull—is explicitly invoked in the text, which structurally mirrors this myth. Each has a monster, fourteen characters, and a thread which leads out of a labyrinth. In the myth, Theseus and the others are taken into the labyrinth wherein the Minotaur resides as tribute, as dictated by the Delphic Oracle, and the princess Ariadne gives Theseus a ball of thread to attach to the entrance, so he may find his way out again.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historicity of Plato's Apology of Socrates
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1946 The Historicity of Plato's Apology of Socrates David J. Bowman Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses Part of the Classical Literature and Philology Commons Recommended Citation Bowman, David J., "The Historicity of Plato's Apology of Socrates" (1946). Master's Theses. 61. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/61 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1946 David J. Bowman !HE HISTORICITY OP PLATO'S APOLOGY OF SOCRATES BY DA.VID J. BOWJWf~ S.J• .l. !BESIS SUBMITTED Ilf PARTIAL FULFILIJIE.NT OF THB: R}gQUIRE'IIENTS POR THE DEGREE OF IIA.STER OF ARTS Ill LOYOLA UlfiVERSITY JULY 1946 -VI'fA. David J. Bowman; S.J•• was born in Oak Park, Ill1no1a, on Ma7 20, 1919. Atter b!a eleaentar7 education at Ascension School# in Oak Park, he attended LoJola AcademJ ot Chicago, graduat1DS .from. there in June, 1937. On September 1, 1937# he entered the Sacred Heart Novitiate ot the SocietJ ot Jesus at Milford~ Ohio. Por the tour Jear• he spent there, he was aoademicallJ connected with Xavier Univeraitr, Cincinnati, Ohio. In August ot 1941 he tranaterred to West Baden College o.f Lorol& Universit7, Obicago, and received the degree ot Bachelor o.f Arts with a major in Greek in Deo.aber, 1941.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prosecutors of Socrates and the Political Motive Theory
    Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2-1981 The prosecutors of Socrates and the political motive theory Thomas Patrick Kelly Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Intellectual History Commons, and the Political History Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Kelly, Thomas Patrick, "The prosecutors of Socrates and the political motive theory" (1981). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 2692. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.2689 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Thomas Patrick Kelly for the Master of Arts in History presented February 26, 1981. Title: The Prosecutors of Socrates and The Political Motive Theory. APPROVED BY MEMBERS OF THE THESIS CO~rnITTEE: ~~varnos, Cha1rman Charles A. Le Guin Roderlc D1man This thesis presents a critical analysis of the histor- ical roles assigned to the prosecutors of Socrates by modern historians. Ancient sources relating to the trial and the principles involved, and modern renditions, especially those of John Burnet and A. E. Taylor, originators of the theory that the trial of Socrates was politically motivated, are critically 2 analyzed and examined. The thesis concludes that the political motive theory is not supported by the evidence on which it relies. THE PROSECUTORS OF SOCRATES AND THE POLITICAL MOTIVE THEORY by THOMAS PATRICK KELLY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in HISTORY Portland State University 1981 TO THE OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH: The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Thomas Patrick Kelly presented February 26, 1981.
    [Show full text]
  • ENG3U Free Choice Reading
    ENG3U Free-Choice Reading • Name: ______________ Individual Free-Choice Reading Assignment 1 Free Choice Important Literary Authors by Period & Culture Beginning to 1st 2nd-15th 16th Century 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century 20th Century Century A.D. Century (1500s) (1600s) (1700s) (1800s) (1900s) Indian Manu, Valmiki Chandidas, The Ghazal Khan Kushal Mirza Ghalib Mahatma Subcontinental Kabir Gandhi, Premchand Chinese I Ching, Tao Yangming Hong Shen Yuan Mei, Mao Zedong, Confucius Yuanming, Xie Wang, Wu Cao Xueqin Lin Yutang Lingyun Cheng’en Japanese Manyoshu Zeami Kojiro Kanze Matsuo Basho Hakuin Ekaku Natsume Mishima Motokiyo Soseki Yukio Middle Eastern Gilgamesh, Book Talmud, Jami, Thousand and Evliya Çelebi Jacob Talmon, of the Dead, The Rumi One Nights David Shar, Bible Amos Oz Greek Homer, Aesop, Anna Dionysios Constantine Sophocles, Comnena, Solomos Cavafy, Euripides Ptolemy, Giorgos Galen, Seferis, Porphyry Odysseas Elytis Latin Virgil, Ovid, St. Anselm of Desiderius Johannes Carolus Pope Pius X, Cicero Aosta, St. Erasmus, Kepler, Linnaeus XI, XII Thomas Thomas Baruch Aquinas, St. Moore, John Spinoza Augustine Calvin Germanic Neibelungenli Martin Luther Johann Immanuel Johann Rainer Maria ed, Van Grimmelshau Kant, Wolfgang von Rilke, Bertolt Eschenbach, sen Friedrich von Goethe, Brecht, Albert Von Schiller Brothers Schweitzer Strassburg Grimm, Karl Marx, Henrik Ibsen French Le Chanson Robert René Voltaire, Jean- Honoré de Marcel Proust, de Roland, Garnier, Descartes, Jacques Balzac Victor Jean-Paul Jean Froissart, Marguerite
    [Show full text]
  • The Apology of Socrates, by Plato
    The Apology of Socrates, by Plato The Project Gutenberg Edition Trans: Benjamin Jowett INTRODUCTION. Socrates has been put on trial by the citizens of Athens for multiple “crimes” all related to his teaching of philosophy. Meletus is his prosecutor, but he is addressing a jury of hundreds of his fellow citizens. In this famous work, Socrates defends his practice of questioning everything and describes the beauty of a philosophical life. He also antagonizes his fellow Athenians… Note, Plato was Socrates’ student and this is report of how the trial went from Socrates’ perspective. Socrates himself wrote nothing – his philosophical career was spent verbally debating his fellow Athenians. APOLOGY How you, O Athenians, have been affected by my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that they almost made me forget who I was--so persuasively did they speak; and yet they have hardly uttered a word of truth. But of the many falsehoods told by them, there was one which quite amazed me;--I mean when they said that you should be upon your guard and not allow yourselves to be deceived by the force of my eloquence. To say this, when they were certain to be detected as soon as I opened my lips and proved myself to be anything but a great speaker, did indeed appear to me most shameless--unless by the force of eloquence they mean the force of truth; for is such is their meaning, I admit that I am eloquent. But in how different a way from theirs! Well, as I was saying, they have scarcely spoken the truth at all; but from me you shall hear the whole truth: not, however, delivered after their manner in a set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases.
    [Show full text]
  • The Trial of Socrates 399 BCE
    The Trial of Socrates 399 BCE 2 WHY? The trial and execution of Socrates in Athens in 399 B.C.E. puzzles historians What did Socrates say or do that prompted a jury to send a seventy- year-old philosopher to his death? Finding an answer is complicated by the two surviving accounts of the defense They were written by Socrates disciples, Plato and Xenophon Their accounts probably were trying to show their master in a favorable light They failed to present the most damning evidence against Socrates 3 The decisions to prosecute and ultimately convict Socrates had a lot to do with the turbulent history of Athens in the several years preceding his trial An examination of that history may not provide final answers, but it does provide important clues 4 As a young man, Socrates saw the rise to power of Pericles He brought on the dawning of the "Golden Age of Greece." Pericles--perhaps history's first liberal politician-- acted on his belief that the masses deserved liberty Pericles used the public treasury to promote the arts He pushed a building program designed to demonstrate the glory that was Greece It also ensured full employment and opportunities for the lower classes Pericles rebuilt the Acropolis and constructed the Parthenon 5 Parthenon 6 SOCRATES’ BELIEFS Meanwhile, Socrates developed a set of values and beliefs that would put him at odds with most Athenians 7 Socrates was not a democrat To him, the people should not be self-governing They were like a herd of sheep that needed a wise shepherd He denied that citizens had basic virtue
    [Show full text]