24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Theseus
Theseus, legendary founder of Athens, traveled to the far corners of the Greek world doing great deeds, and at home he created the prototypes of Athens's key institutions. Athenians' beliefs about Theseus, like Americans about George Washington, set a standard for judging leaders.
1.
Theseus
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13.
Anaxagoras, Phidias, and Aspasia
Pericles is an intellectual as well as a political leader. His Athens is a place of unprecedented creativity, resulting in works of art, philosophy, and literature that are still admired, debated, and studied today. The names of Anaxagoras, Phidias, and Aspasia (5th century B.C.) represent the leading intellectual, artistic, and cultural currents of this golden age.
13.
Anaxagoras, Phidias, and Aspasia
|
2.
Achilles and Agamemnon
No book on leadership could offer a better example than the conflict before the walls of Troy between Achilles and Agamemnon (c. 1250 B.C.). As Greek commander-in-chief, Agamemnon is in over his head. Excelling in the virtues he lacks is Achilles, "best of the Achaeans." Homer's genius will transform their power struggle into a timeless lesson in the moral dimension of politics.
2.
Achilles and Agamemnon
|
14.
Sophocles
Tragedy is the definitive cultural statement of the Athenian democracy. Aristotle calls Sophocles (495–406 B.C.) the supreme tragedian. Active in politics and as a general, Sophocles leaves us three plays, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Colonus, that can be read as parables about Pericles's rule, the mysteries of wisdom and suffering, and the moral dimensions of politics.
14.
Sophocles
|
3.
Hector
It is part of the genius of Homer to make the Trojan prince Hector, the Greeks' chief foe, into the noblest hero of The Iliad. Patriot, soldier, devoted husband and father, Hector embodies the virtues most admired by the Greeks and their tragic vision of life.
3.
Hector
|
15.
Thucydides
Pursuing history as a field of study begins in 5th-century B.C. Athens with the idea that learning from the past is the best way to guide present decisions. Herodotus comes first, but Thucydides (471–400 B.C.) is the greater historian. His powerful and pathbreaking History of the Peloponnesian War is "the eternal manual of statesmen," as timely and vivid today as when it was written.
15.
Thucydides
|
4.
Odysseus
Unlike the doomed Hector, Agamemnon, and Achilles, the wily Odysseus is the consummate survivor. For 10 years after the fall of Troy, angry gods make him wander the Mediterranean. In the end, his prudence and courage restore him to his home. Homer makes Odysseus's story into a metaphor for the human experience, wand gives us a look at the late Bronze Age.
4.
Odysseus
|
16.
Alcibiades
Brilliant, willful, dynamic, and fatally seductive, Alcibiades (450–404 B.C.), the nephew of Pericles, is one of the most fascinating and disturbing characters in all of Greek history. Gifted like his uncle but without his integrity, he is a product of Athenian democracy whose career highlights some of its worst failings and excesses.
16.
Alcibiades
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5.
Lycurgus
The legendary Spartan Lycurgus (c. 776 B.C.) represents a characteristic early Greek figure: the lawgiver who saves his country from civil war and establishes its characteristic political, social, and religious institutions. No such institutions in antiquity were as famous or significant as those of Sparta.
5.
Lycurgus
|
17.
Nicias
A dogged foe of Alcibiades, the conservative aristocrat Nicias (465–414 B.C.) becomes one of three commanders of the Sicilian expedition, along with his hated rival. Ultimately, supreme command devolves on Nicias. Despite his reputation for virtue, he is lazy, inept, and fears responsibility. But he is worth studying; examples of bad leadership are often the most instructive.
17.
Nicias
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6.
Solon
Athenian democracy owes much to Solon (638–559 B.C.), a truly wise man who used his mind to serve his country. Many figures of archaic Greek history are hardly more than names to us, but this is not true of Solon. His poetry survives and offers us unique insights into the values and motives of this statesman whom our own Founders so admired.
6.
Solon
|
18.
Alcibiades and the Peloponnesian War
Even after the disaster in Sicily, the Athenians refuse to give up, resorting to bold military and political strategies. They even bring back Alcibiades, who had worn out his welcome in Sparta, and whose military genius and political skill restores Athens to a commanding position. But Sparta, too, has a formidable leader in Lysander.
18.
Alcibiades and the Peloponnesian War
|
7.
Croesus
Why do great nations rise and fall? So asks the first true historian, Herodotus. A profound moral teacher concerned with the pitfalls of hybris (arrogance) and moral blindness, he begins his work on the Greek-Persian wars with the story of a monarch who belonged to neither people. How does the tale of King Croesus of Lydia (r. c. 560–546 B.C.) lead us to reflect on enduring issues of public morality and personal virtue?
7.
Croesus
|
19.
Lysander and Socrates
The exile of Alcibiades by the Athenians gives Lysander his chance to prove himself. He brings victory to Sparta, but smaller men pull him down. The destruction of the great by the mediocre is also the story behind the trial of Socrates. His closeness to Alcibiades is the real reason that his fellow Athenians hate him.
19.
Lysander and Socrates
|
8.
Xerxes
Both Plutarch and Herodotus would agree that Persia's King Xerxes (519–465 B.C.) belongs in any course on famous Greeks. Xerxes is central to Herodotus's Histories: He was responsible for the fall of his country. By studying the folly of Xerxes, Herodotus hopes the Greeks can avoid the same errors.
8.
Xerxes
|
20.
The Trial of Socrates
In his funeral oration, Pericles celebrates the Athenian democracy for its tolerance. The Athenians treasure freedom of speech as essential to true democracy. Yet this same Athenian democracy puts to death its greatest thinker and teacher, Socrates. Why?
20.
The Trial of Socrates
|
9.
Leonidas
It is a hot August morning in 480 B.C. Xerxes is closing in on Greece with 500,000 men. Facing him is Leonidas, king of the Spartans, with a small force of 7,000 built around a band of 300 Spartans. The stand they are preparing to make at the narrow pass called Thermopylae will become one of the most stirring in the annals of war. It will change world history and secure the place of Leonidas among the famous Greeks.
9.
Leonidas
|
21.
Xenophon, Plato and Philip
After Socrates' death, his pupils Xenophon and Plato come to believe that Athens has a perverse form of government. But a polis such as Athens is no longer the center of action, for to the north a new power is rising that will change the world. Macedonia and its superbly capable and ambitious king, Philip II, are the cutting edge of history.
21.
Xenophon, Plato and Philip
|
10.
Themistocles
The aftermath of Thermopylae was as critical for Athens—and for freedom in the ancient world—as May and June 1940 were for Britain and the cause of freedom in the modern world. In that dark hour, the British found a leader to rally them for the great test. In the same way, the Athenian democracy would find in Themistocles (527–460 B.C.) a man equal to the moment.
10.
Themistocles
|
22.
Alexander the Great
Plutarch makes Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.) and Julius Caesar the centerpieces of his Lives. Alexander's generalship and political vision transform the world. Not only one of the greatest military leaders in history, he outlines a vision of brotherhood that remains an inspiring ideal today.
22.
Alexander the Great
|
11.
Pausanias
Thucydides sees Sparta's King Pausanias (510–476 B.C.) as equal to Themistocles in intrepidity. By leading his allied force to an epic victory over a vastly larger Persian army at Plataea (479 B.C.), Pausanias ends the threat of Persian invasion and proves himself one of history's great captains. How do the Greeks manage to achieve this unlikely triumph?
11.
Pausanias
|
23.
Pyrrhus
The Romans are Alexander's true heirs. The life of King Pyrrhus of Epirus (318–272 B.C.) shows why Rome rather than Greece wins world mastery. His proverbially costly "victories" over the Romans offer an object lesson in how even a gifted leader may fail if he does not "pick his battles" well.
23.
Pyrrhus
|
12.
Pericles
Along with Lincoln and Churchill, Pericles (490–429 B.C.) is one of history's three greatest democratic statesmen. Why does he decide to lead his country into the great war with Sparta? This lecture and the three that follow paint a portrait of Pericles and his age that is quite different from the one found in most histories.
12.
Pericles
|
24.
Cleopatra
The last and most serious challenge of Greece to Rome comes from Cleopatra (69–30 B.C.). Charming in turn with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, she nearly defeats Octavian. This lecture goes behind Roman propaganda to reveal her as one of the supreme figures of ancient history, a stateswoman whose vision of a Hellenic eastern empire foreshadows Byzantium.
24.
Cleopatra
|
24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Publius Cornelius Scipio
It is a March day in 218 B.C., the year that will see the beginning of the Second Punic War. Join the consul P. Cornelius Scipio and his son as they tour the Forum, discussing its statues of heroes from Rome's early days.
1.
Publius Cornelius Scipio
|
13.
Brutus and the Opposition to Caesar
It is March 15, 44 B.C., and you are with Caesar as he walks to a meeting of the Senate in the Theater of Pompey, where he will be murdered by a conspiracy of senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus. Why did Brutus kill Caesar? What consequences flowed from this bloody deed?
13.
Brutus and the Opposition to Caesar
|
2.
Hannibal
Few Romans did as much to make Rome a world power as did its worst enemy, Hannibal. This lecture follows the great Carthaginian general as he leads 59,000 men and 37 elephants over the Pyrenees, fights his way across Gaul, and pushes through the Alps into Italy.
2.
Hannibal
|
14.
Cicero
Statesman, philosopher, orator, and humanist, Cicero is one of Rome's greatest sons, and proof that a lawyer can succeed without sacrificing integrity. He upheld justice, moderation, and liberty in troubled times, and gave his life for these ideals.
14.
Cicero
|
3.
Gaius Flaminius
On a foggy morning in 217 B.C., a Roman army marches along the shore of Lake Trasimene in central Italy. The career of its commander Flaminius opens a window on both Roman politics and the skill of Hannibal, who lies in wait in the hills above.
3.
Gaius Flaminius
|
15.
Augustus
The adoption of his great-nephew, Gaius Octavius, is the most compelling evidence of Caesar's foresight. Only 19 at the time of Caesar's death, as the princeps (First Citizen), Augustus would secure centuries of unprecedented peace and prosperity.
15.
Augustus
|
4.
Quintus Fabius Maximus
The events at Trasimene led the Senate to name Fabius as dictator for six months. Why did he adopt his famous—and at the time, highly unpopular—strategy of avoiding battle with Hannibal?
4.
Quintus Fabius Maximus
|
16.
Vergil
Augustus enlisted the finest intellectual, literary, and artistic talent to create monuments of enduring excellence to his ideals and achievements. Did Vergil, the greatest of all Latin poets, craft The Aeneid as an allegory of Augustus?
16.
Vergil
|
5.
Scipio Africanus the Elder
The son of the consul of 218 B.C., Africanus earned his sobriquet by crushing Hannibal in 202 at Zama (now Tunisia), one of the most decisive battles in world history. Here we compare Scipio and Hannibal and the lessons they offer.
5.
Scipio Africanus the Elder
|
17.
Claudius
A sign of the Augustan system's genius was its ability to survive eccentric or even mad emperors. History is fascinated by those emperors' excesses, which indeed can be highly instructive. Claudius, for all his oddness, was a shrewd and able ruler.
17.
Claudius
|
6.
Scipio the Younger
Here we stand with the grandson of Africanus and his teacher Polybius, quoting Homer and thinking of Rome's own future, as we watch Carthage fall in a terrible illustration of the Roman proverb vae victis ("woe to the conquered").
6.
Scipio the Younger
|
18.
Nero
To the senator and historian Tacitus, Nero illustrated the grim reality of the principate and the fate of the Roman people, who had surrendered liberty for security only to find their fate in the hands of a mad tyrant.
18.
Nero
|
7.
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
Rome had conquered Carthage, only to wind up divided against itself as wealth displaced virtue and undermined the constitution. Seeing the urgent need for reform, these descendants of the Scipio line prepared to sacrifice everything to achieve it.
7.
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
|
19.
Trajan
The rise of this brave and able emperor testifies to the collective political wisdom of the Senate. He was a military leader and statesman of vision whose domestic and foreign policy wrought fundamental changes in the imperial system of Augustus.
19.
Trajan
|
8.
Crassus
Amid the turmoil and corruption of the late Republic, men of towering capacity strove to impose their will on Rome's destiny. Crassus made himself the richest man in Rome, and then sought political and military triumph.
8.
Crassus
|
20.
Hadrian
Hadrian, Trajan's successor, is a gifted, perplexing, and controversial figure. A fine soldier and public servant, he was also an intellectual innovator and an architect of genius. But few of his contemporaries understood him.
20.
Hadrian
|
9.
Gaius Julius Caesar
To Rome's top politicians, Caesar at first seemed nothing more than a political hack of little ability and less character. The challenge of conquering Gaul transformed Caesar and changed world history, laying the foundations for the civilization of France and Western Europe.
9.
Gaius Julius Caesar
|
21.
Epictetus
Born a slave, he was exiled from Rome for speaking too freely to the emperor. Despite offers to return, he lived on in a backwater, becoming one of the greatest exponents of that vastly influential approach to life known as Stoicism.
21.
Epictetus
|
10.
Caesar and Vercingetorix
Caesar's brilliant history, The Gallic War, recounts his defeat of the Celtic hero Vercingetorix and reveals his mastery of strategy, tactics, logistics, battlefield command, and peace settlements.
10.
Caesar and Vercingetorix
|
22.
Apuleius
A lawyer, intellectual, and family man, Apuleius had a fascinating career that brings to life the 2nd century, an age much like our own. His novel The Golden Ass is both a ribald yarn and a touching allegory of the human soul thirsting for redemption.
22.
Apuleius
|
11.
Pompey the Great
In 49 B.C., Caesar crossed the Rubicon and plunged Rome into civil war. He did it in the cause of liberty for the Roman people, but his goal was to establish himself as dictator. In this crisis, the supporters of republican liberty turned to Pompey.
11.
Pompey the Great
|
23.
Plutarch, Suetonius, and Tacitus
Worthy heirs of Herodotus and Thucydides, these authors embody the essence of the classical tradition of history: its concern with greatness of theme and greatness of soul, its high moral seriousness, and its noble regard for freedom.
23.
Plutarch, Suetonius, and Tacitus
|
12.
Cato the Younger
At Valley Forge, desperate to strengthen the morale of his starving, freezing men, George Washington had his officers put on Joseph Addison's play about Cato. This lecture explains why.
12.
Cato the Younger
|
24.
Marcus Aurelius
With Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic wore the imperial purple. No emperor was more dedicated or humane. His Meditations remain a beacon for all who would go through life with honesty and compassion. But how did he fare as a ruler?
24.
Marcus Aurelius
|
36
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers From Prison
This lecture uses the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who sacrificed his life to fight totalitarianism, to illustrate a great book's most important attribute—its ability to speak to you as an individual and help shape the ideals by which you live your life.
1.
Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers From Prison
|
19.
George Orwell, 1984
In his novel 1984, George Orwell raises the pertinent and disturbing question of whether any individual can resist the modern power of the state, brilliantly illuminating the logical consequences of subordinating the individual to anonymous social and economic forces.
19.
George Orwell, 1984
|
2.
Homer, Iliad
We discuss the Iliad's role as one of the most deeply religious books ever composed, an enduring statement of the living tradition of polytheism and a profound effort to understand the meaning of life.
2.
Homer, Iliad
|
20.
Vergil, Aeneid
We examine Vergil's epic as both a work of literature and as a powerful and influential statement of the necessity of war in a just cause and the moral value of duty.
20.
Vergil, Aeneid
|
3.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Though written to himself, this Roman emperor's great work has proven an enduring legacy, a reflection of an ethical life as applicable today as it was almost 2,000 years ago and a monument to self-sufficient wisdom.
3.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
|
21.
Pericles, Oration; Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
Two great democratic statesmen used the occasion of a public funeral for the war dead to proclaim democracy an absolute good. Separated by almost 2,500 years, these two funeral orations represent the most profound statements of the necessity of just wars.
21.
Pericles, Oration; Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
|
4.
Bhagavad Gita
Composed in the same period as the Iliad, the Bhagavad Gita is regarded as the supreme creation of Sanskrit literature. Though an epic statement of polytheism, it proclaims truth as an all-encompassing, single, divine power.
4.
Bhagavad Gita
|
22.
Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
Published in 1928, the best novel about war ever written gave voice to the feeling that nothing was worth another war, paving the way for appeasement policies in both Britain and France that in fact made another and even more horrible war inevitable.
22.
Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
|
5.
Book of Exodus
The most influential religious book ever composed, the Book of Exodus has shaped three great living religious traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—in its proclamation of a single, all-powerful God.
5.
Book of Exodus
|
23.
Confucius, The Analects
Few intellectual figures in history have so influenced a civilization as Confucius, the teacher whose wisdom guided the intellectual, political, and ethical life of China for more than two millennia.
23.
Confucius, The Analects
|
6.
Gospel of Mark
Each of the Gospels presents a portrait of Jesus differing in emphasis. Mark, drawn from the firsthand account of Peter, is the most concise and dramatic. Its Jesus is both prophet and philosopher, testifying to his search for wisdom by his trial and death.
6.
Gospel of Mark
|
24.
Machiavelli, The Prince
Confucius taught the art of government as it should be; Machiavelli as it really is. Written in 1513, The Prince might be called the handbook of modern politics and foreign policy, just as useful now as it was then for anyone interesting in gaining and keeping power.
24.
Machiavelli, The Prince
|
7.
Koran
We examine the sacred book that holds for Muslims the same place that the words of Jesus do for Christians, the words of the book itself held as the revelation of God to humankind.
7.
Koran
|
25.
Plato, Republic
Plato's Republic might be called the greatest book on politics, education, and justice ever written. As The Divine Comedy embodies the values of the Middle Ages and the Aeneid those of Rome, the Republic embodies the ideals and values of classical Greece.
25.
Plato, Republic
|
8.
Gilgamesh
The question of fate or destiny is at the core of the earliest literary work to come down to us, the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, composed in the 3rd millennium B.C. in what is now Iraq.
8.
Gilgamesh
|
26.
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Published in 1859, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty is the classic statement of the liberal ideal of democratic government and social justice. For Mill, government exists to serve the individual, and individual liberty is the end of government, not a means to an end.
26.
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
|
9.
Beowulf
Gilgamesh proclaims a heroic ideal: We are fated to die, but in the meantime, let us strive to be as great as possible. This same message is the theme of the first great work of English literature, the 8th-century Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf.
9.
Beowulf
|
27.
Sir Thomas Malory, Morte d'Arthur
Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur captures the passion, consequences, and contradictions of romantic and spiritual love. One of the first great works of English prose, it summarizes the civilization of medieval chivalry in its ideal form.
27.
Sir Thomas Malory, Morte d'Arthur
|
10.
Book of Job
If God is good, why does evil exist? The Book of Job is the most enduring attempt to answer that question, a profound disquisition on the ultimate mystery of God and the frailty of any human attempt to understand the divine.
10.
Book of Job
|
28.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 1
Goethe ranks with Shakespeare and Dante as one of the three supreme geniuses of European literature, comparable to Homer and Vergil. In the first part of Faust, Goethe grapples with the implications of attaining knowledge at any cost.
28.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 1
|
11.
Aeschylus, Oresteia
The three plays of the Oresteia rank with the Oedipus of Sophocles as the greatest of Greek tragedies, a story of murder, revenge, duty, and divine intervention that raises in stark form the dilemma of free will.
11.
Aeschylus, Oresteia
|
29.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 2
The question of the role of beauty and cultural standards is one that every thoughtful person must decide on his or her own terms. We explore these themes against the backdrop of the moral growth and ultimate redemption of Dr. Faust.
29.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 2
|
12.
Euripides, Bacchae
For the great Athenian tragedians, it is moral blindness that leads to hybris (also hubris) and ruin. Pentheus in the Bacchae of Euripides exemplifies those who believe themselves wise but are, in fact, fatally ignorant.
12.
Euripides, Bacchae
|
30.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Thoreau, the most American of thinkers, is an unabashed Romantic in exploring the relationship of Man to the natural world. Walden is the journal of his recovery of self-meaning and independence by his return to nature.
30.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
|
13.
Plato, Phaedo
Fifth-century Greece sees the development of a more profound concept of the immortality of the soul. For Socrates, the belief in such an immortal soul was the ultimate question, as portrayed by Plato in the Phaedo.
13.
Plato, Phaedo
|
31.
Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is the greatest history written in the English language. Here, we look at Gibbon and his history as a statement of "a philosophical historian," who searches the past for laws to guide us in the future.
31.
Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
|
14.
Dante, The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is the supreme summary of the thought of medieval Europe, ranking with the Aeneid of Vergil as one of the most influential epic poems ever composed and key to shaping the Italian language as it is spoken today.
14.
Dante, The Divine Comedy
|
32.
Lord Acton, The History of Freedom
Though Acton never wrote his planned history of liberty, he left behind, in numerous essays and unpublished notes, a legacy of historical thought that remains a message of supreme importance to us today.
32.
Lord Acton, The History of Freedom
|
15.
Shakespeare, Othello, the Moor of Venice
The ancient Greeks and Romans did not have a figure comparable to Satan or the devil. To them, evil came in the form of human actions. In Renaissance England, this same idea was portrayed magnificently in Othello.
15.
Shakespeare, Othello, the Moor of Venice
|
33.
Cicero, On Moral Duties (De Officiis)
On Moral Duties is one of the most influential works on education ever written, directly contradicting the view that might makes right and making clear that an immoral act can never be expedient.
33.
Cicero, On Moral Duties (De Officiis)
|
16.
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
Aeschylus, like the other great Greek tragedians, believes that we gain wisdom from those who suffered on a titanic stage—in this case, the great rebel Prometheus, who defied the will of Zeus to benefit humanity.
16.
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
|
34.
Gandhi, An Autobiography
By drawing on the traditions of Indian thought and reading the Bhagavad Gita daily, Gandhi makes his own path, focusing his entire life on a search for truth and teaching us that there are many roads to wisdom and victory.
34.
Gandhi, An Autobiography
|
17.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book stands as a massive indictment of the evil of Joseph Stalin and of the Communist system, portraying with chilling insight the role of ordinary people in carrying out this evil.
17.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
|
35.
Churchill, My Early Life; Painting as a Pastime; WWII
Churchill might well be called the greatest figure in the 20th century. We look at three books by this Nobel Prize–winning author and find wisdom to guide us in drawing fundamental lessons for our own lives.
35.
Churchill, My Early Life; Painting as a Pastime; WWII
|
18.
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Like Othello, Julius Caesar was written at the height of Shakespeare's creative talents. Its theme is honor and duty, the duty of a man to resist evil by violence and murder if necessary.
18.
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
|
36.
Lessons from the Great Books
We review the lessons of the course and our definition of what makes a great book—a definition as true and vital today as it was in the age of Socrates and Cicero.
36.
Lessons from the Great Books
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