Plato's Parmenides and Timaeus
Here are my thoughts on Plato’s Parmenides and Timaeus. I read the introduction to Parmenides and then decided after reading the first...
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Western Tradition
Welcome to Western Tradition
Personal blog for reviews and thoughts on books dealing with the western history, philosophy, and great books.
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Thoughts on Plato's Sophist
I read the Nicolas P. White intro and dialogue. As usual, the introduction was a longer and more technical than I really wanted or...
Thoughts on Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus
My latest dialogue is Plato’s Symposium. I once again read the Oxford World Classics edition. I like these editions and their notes, but...
Thoughts on Plato's Theaetetus
My latest book is Plato’s Theaetetus, in which the question is asked, “What is knowledge?” I again read the Oxford World Classics version...
Thoughts on Plato's Phaedo
My latest book is the Oxford World Classics edition of Plato’s Phaedo. This is a fairly short but dense dialogue describing Socrates’...
Thoughts on Plato's Apology and Crito
My last two dialogues were Plato’s Apology and Crito, which I read from a collection including those and a few other works from Yale...
Thoughts on Aristophanes' Clouds
My latest book is Aristophanes’ Clouds, an ancient Greek comedy performed originally in 423 B.C. and thereafter in revised form. I read...
Thoughts on some of Plutarch's Lives
I recently completed Plutarch’s lives of Solon (Athens’ great lawgiver) and Lycurgus (Sparta’s great lawgiver), and even though my...
Thoughts on Philosopher-Kings: The Argument of Plato's Republic
In the Philosopher-Kings: The Argument of Plato’s Republic, author CDC Reeve seeks to argue that, contrary to what I thought, the...
Thoughts on Plato's Republic
I have finally completed Plato’s Republic and chose Robin Waterfield’s translation for Oxford World’s Classics. I really enjoyed his...
Classical Thought by Terence Irwin
Classical Thought by Terence Irwin, published in 1989, is Volume 1 of A History of Western Philosophy published by Oxford. This book...
The Logistics of the Macedonian Army by Donald Engels
My latest book was Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army by Donald W. Engels. This book focuses purely on the...
The Generalship of Alexander the Great by JFC Fuller
This is a survey for general readers of the life and military campaigns of Alexander the Great.
The Anglo Saxons by James Campbell
The Anglo Saxons, the most recent edition of which was published in 1991, is a dense survey by James Campbell of the history of England...
Donald Kagan's Peloponnesian War
Donald Kagan's Peloponnesian War is a summary for general readers of the Peloponnesian War. The war this book seeks to cover is long and...
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Image credits
The top image is Raphael's The School of Athens painted around 1510; the central figures are Plato and Aristotle. The bottom image is Newton by printmaker William Blake from 1805. Both are public domain images I pulled from wikimedia commons. See individual blog posts for image credits for cover photos.
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