Plato's Symposium
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Narrated by:
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Ray Childs
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By:
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Plato
About this listen
The dramatic nature of Plato's dialogues is delightfully evident in Symposium. The marriage between character and thought bursts forth as the guests gather at Agathon's house to celebrate the success of his first tragedy. With wit and insight, they all present their ideas about love - from Erixymachus' scientific naturalism to Aristophanes' comic fantasy. The unexpected arrival of Alcibiades breaks the spell cast by Diotima's ethereal climb up the staircase of love to beauty itself. Ecstasy and intoxication clash as Plato concludes with one of his most skillful displays of dialectic.
© Agora Publications
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A vivid love story and adventure tale, Oroonoko is a heroic slave narrative about a royal prince and his fight for freedom. The eponymous hero, Oroonoko, deemed royalty in one world and slave in another, is torn from his noble status and betrayed into slavery in Surinam, where he is reduced to chains, fetters, and shackles. But his high spirit and admirable character will not be suppressed.
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Outstanding Narration, Story Less So
- By Carsley on 07-14-18
By: Aphra Behn
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Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
- By: Marcus Aurelius
- Narrated by: Alan Munro
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Meditations is former U.S. President Bill Clinton's favorite book. This audio consists of a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161-180 AD, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy.
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The reading made it impossible to focus on content
- By Mark Grebner on 09-02-12
By: Marcus Aurelius
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Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
- By: Edwin Abbott
- Narrated by: Alan Munro
- Length: 4 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Abbott used the fictional two-dimensional world of Flatland to offer pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions, for which the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics, and computer science students. Several films have been made from the story, including a feature film in 2007 called Flatland. Other efforts have been short or experimental films, including one narrated by Dudley Moore and a short film with Martin Sheen titled Flatland: The Movie.
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Upward, not Northward
- By Darwin8u on 12-10-12
By: Edwin Abbott
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The Art of Worldly Wisdom
- By: Balthasar Gracian
- Narrated by: Keira Grace
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
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The Art of Worldly Wisdom was written in 1647. It is a collection of 300 maxims on various topics, each elaborated with a commentary. The sayings offer advice and guidance on how to live well, advance socially, and be a better person.
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Terrible Narration
- By John P. Owens on 08-31-22
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Seneca - On the Shortness of Life: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader
- By: Lucius Seneca, James Harris
- Narrated by: Scott R. Smith
- Length: 59 mins
- Unabridged
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De Brevitate Vitae (frequently referred to as On the Shortness of Life in English) is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, to his father-in-law Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that men waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives man enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly.
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Terrible narration. Sorry I purchased this one!
- By Ellis Vee on 01-12-17
By: Lucius Seneca, and others
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Don Quixote
- By: Miguel de Cervantes, Gerald J. Davis - translator
- Narrated by: John Hanks
- Length: 20 hrs
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Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, follows the adventures of Alonso Quijano, a hidalgo who reads so many chivalric novels that he decides to set out to revive chivalry, under the name Don Quixote. This is the story that a Nobel Prize Committee survey of one hundred of the world's best writers named "the greatest book of all time."
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A wonderful, magical listen
- By K on 12-01-13
By: Miguel de Cervantes, and others
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In Euthyphro, Socrates is on his way to the court, where he must defend himself against serious charges brought by religious and political authorities. On the way he meets Euthyphro, an expert on religious matters who has come to prosecute his own father. Socrates questions Euthyphro's claim that religion serves as the basis for ethics. Euthyphro is not able to provide satisfactory answers to Socrates' questions, but their dialogue leaves us with the challenge of making a reasonable connection between ethics and religion.
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The Republic poses questions that endure: What is justice? What form of community fosters the best possible life for human beings? What is the nature and destiny of the soul? What form of education provides the best leaders for a good republic? What are the various forms of poetry and the other arts, and which ones should be fostered and which ones should be discouraged? How does knowing differ from believing?
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What listeners say about Plato's Symposium
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Henry
- 05-13-22
a little weird, but interesting
The book is about a drinking party that decides to bring up a topic about the Greek god, Eros. Eros, being the god of love, attracted the party-goers towards how love is portrayed and how it rewards those who perform it, by giving a kind of praise to Eros.
But then when it was Socrates turn, he used his usual method to attempt to get to what love truly was and why. Intriguing how the ancient world approaches the subject.
The reading was superb! I almost felt like I was that friend invited to the party, hoping no one asks me to contribute to the conversation and let me drink my wine in peace. (I listened to this as work, so I didn't get to drink wine D: )
The story was ok but was little bit like culture shock. It was easy to follow, as long as you have some idea of Greek mythology (which i somewhat lack). But don't worry, if you keep listening and have google at the ready, it isn't impossible.
At this point you should know this is philosophy so a juicy love story is a quest best searched elsewhere.
tl;dr interesting and awkward.
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- Laurel
- 01-27-19
Volume changes but Plato is incredible!
The voices go up and down in volume making it difficult sometimes to maintain the desire able volume level with earbuds. On the other hand, Plato’s origin of man & two half’s that used to be whole is one of my favorite myths of all!
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- Sarah Byrd
- 01-14-17
very good voices
great story, great voice acting especially from socrates, whoever does his voice is amazing, would listen again
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- Kolit
- 05-14-19
Loved It
Symposium is not my favorite dialog to read, but it is my favorite to listen to. This audio-book gave me that feeling like I wanted to cry, not because I was sad, but because I was so moved. If you're into this feeling, you should definitely listen carefully to this book. You'll love it.
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- Kevin D.
- 03-03-24
A Thought Provoking Exploration!
Plato's "Symposium" is a philosophical work that takes the form of a series of speeches delivered at a dinner party. The dialogue explores the nature of love and its various manifestations.
Each speech presents a different perspective on love, ranging from physical desire to spiritual connection. Through these diverse viewpoints, Plato delves into the complexities of human love and the pursuit of beauty.
The "Symposium" offers profound insights into the nature of love, raising questions about its origins, purpose, and ultimate significance in human existence. It is a thought-provoking exploration of one of life's most fundamental and mysterious aspects.
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- Andrew Karlovsky
- 04-25-18
It gets better
The first half is kind of rambling and a mixed performance.The later half Is downright breathtaking. By far one of my favorite audible performances.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Aleksander
- 11-09-16
fantastic
recommend this to anyone who likes to think. it's not so much about romantic love, but rather a love of beauty and wisdom
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3 people found this helpful
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- Henry Taylor
- 11-13-18
Love
The the theories of love are seen in so many different ways and even with this I bet there are more theories out there
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- Mr. Avery A. Epperly
- 08-03-21
Excellent
The acting, the production, the voice talent is absolutely exceptional and makes the dialogue take the form, I believe, the author intended from the start. The Symposium, Plato, fine theater: sign me up every time! -The Bum at Work
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