In September 2022 the Kosmos Society Book Club read Plutarch’s Virtues of Women. We discussed the main themes: the fight for justice, defeating the oppressor, and Plutarch’s writing skills. However, there were some themes...that made me think of other similar stories, and made me want to do some further analysis. Read more
"the fame of a woman should be known to many. ... man's virtues and woman's virtues are one and the same." Our Book Club selection for September is "Bravery of Women" from Plutarch's Moralia. Discussion starts and continues in the Forum, and we will meet via Zoom on September 27 at 11 a.m. EDT. Read more
"...it appears, first of all, that Theseus, of his own choice,...of his own accord reached out after great achievements; whereas Romulus, to escape present servitude and impending punishment ... proceeded to perform great exploits under compulsion." Back in February 2019, we read Plutarch's account of practices at Delphi. Now, our next Book Club selection is from Plutarch's Parallel Lives, perhaps his most famous work. Discussion will start and continue in… Read more
"Note also these inscriptions here, ‘Know thyself’ and ‘Avoid extremes,’ how many philosophic inquiries have they set on foot, and what a horde of discourses has sprung up from each, as from a seed ! And no less productive of discourse than any one of them, as I think, is the present subject of inquiry." This month's Book Club will comprise selections from Plutarch, who spent time as a priest… Read more
Plutarch's essay on Herodotus has been described as "the world's earliest known book review." We all have seen examples of this type of writing: a scathing review by a reviewer whose negative comments reveal an underlying bias against the author or his work that seems to obviate any pretense of an objective appraisal. Such an approach is puzzling in this case in that it seems so out of character for… Read more
