Ancient Greek Philosophy

Nine classic works of Ancient Greek philosophers



Plato's Dialogues are a collection of philosophical texts in the form of conversations between various characters. Dialogues cover a wide range of topics, including ethics, politics, epistemology, and metaphysics, and are considered some of the most important works in the Western philosophical tradition. Providing a detailed and nuanced exploration of many key philosophical concepts and ideas, they also demonstrate Plato's mastery of the art of dialogue, especially the use of the Socratic method, in which characters engage in a dialogue to explore a particular idea or question, rather than simply presenting a thesis. This method allows Plato to present multiple perspectives on a topic and to encourage the reader to think critically about the ideas presented. Overall, the Dialogues are considered a seminal work in the history of Western philosophy and continue to be studied and debated to this day.



Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory. In it, Aristotle offers an account of what he calls poetry. He examines its first principles and identifies its genres and basic elements.



Politics is Aristotle's work of political philosophy; a thorough and carefully argued analysis that is based on a study of over 150 city constitutions. Covering a huge range of political issues in order to establish which types of constitution are best - both ideally and in particular circumstances - and how they may be maintained.