How hard it is to help your friends
Socrates had more ways out than most people realize. When the famous Athenian philosopher was put on trial, in 399 B.C., for allegedly “corrupting the youth” and introducing “new...
The Arrogance of Philosophy
“When the suitors could not corrupt Penelope,” the philosopher Bion once said, “they seduced her handmaidens. So it is with philosophy. When unworthy men cannot attain to the Queen,...
Two Slaves for the Price of One
Aristippus was a philosopher who could make any outfit look cool. His secret was that he simultaneously enjoyed the simple pleasure of looking stylish, but felt no attachment to...
Wear it like you mean it
Aristippus, a man who had studied with Socrates, was known for being able to wear any outfit with dignity. Whether it was a threadbare cloak, or a fine robe...
The Spartan Character
The Athenian general Nikias famously said “It is not walls that make a city but men.” Similarly, Spartans took the greatest pride not in the buildings or temples of...
How to get a Big Job
Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, was in town. Omisus, a local landowner, saw a chance to make an impression. He presented the king with an enormous pomegranate. “If this...
A concept both actors and philosophers use to succeed
“Just as we see on the stage, a tragic actor who has trained his voice well can play the roles of Creon [a king] or Telephus [a hero in...
You can’t escape nature. Don’t try.
Socrates understood that each individual’s innate characteristics affect their destiny in life. How many times had he heard the refrain (in various forms), “Fate is inescapable”? It’s all over...