A Problem in Greek Ethics

John Addington Symonds

Summary

Originally published in 1883, "A Problem in Greek Ethics" by John Addington Symonds is a ground-breaking study of the Greek institution of paiderastia. This was a custom by which adolescent men made alliances with older men of a romantic and sexual nature. The young men in question were the same age as contemporary teen pop stars (approximately from puberty to the Athenian age of majority, 21). And they were treated similarly, as celebrities, showered with gifts and attention, and fought over by lovers. Philosophers such as Plato considered these same-sex unions as a remedy for tyranny, the bedrock of a cultured society, and the purest form of love.

The point of this essay is never made explicit, but it is still very relevant. The ancient Greek civilization lasted for hundreds of years, invented democracy, built amazing monumental buildings, developed advanced philosophy, drama and literature, and defeated the Persian empire. And no small part of this success was due to the openly acknowledged contribution of gay people. This proves specious the argument that homosexuals achieving parity in a society means the end of civilization "as we know it".

Symonds, who also wrote "A Problem in Modern Ethics", was an accomplished classicist, and a pioneering (if closeted) self-realized gay person. This book was originally published privately for the use of 'Medical Psychologists and Jurists'; this figleaf was necessary in the repressive climate of Victorian England.

Available since: 10/26/2020.

Other books that might interest you

Seeing It Through - The Story of...

Andy Ballard

Andy Ballard comes from quite a humble background; being a working class boy from a council estate at a middle class grammar school left its marks. A career teacher with nearly twenty- ve years in state education, he forged a second very successful career as a local, regional, and national of cer of his trade union. His story includes how his work at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers would secure the future of ATL and lay the foundations for the formation of "The Education Union". Ballard describes the interplay between his private and professional lives, and bares his soul when the pressures of a lifetime of commitment brings his story to an unexpected conclusion.

Show book

Adrift on an Ice-Pan

Wilfred Grenfell

This autobiographical work describes the author's harrowing experience caught on a small drifting piece of ice, while crossing a frozen bay by dog team on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. (Summary by Sean Michael Hogan)

Show book

Bly vs Bisland - Beating Phileas...

Nellie Bly, Elizabeth Bisland

Following the publication of Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days in 1873, Americans had an increasing interest in travel. World travel was becoming even easier with the faster steamships of the day.
In 1888, Nellie Bly, a feisty, investigative reporter for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World newspaper, pitched a story idea of traveling around the world in 75 days to beat the record achieved by Phileas Fogg, the character in Verne's book. While the editor thought it a great idea, he naturally thought the trip should be made by a man. The idea was shelved for over a year.
One day in November 1889, Bly's editor told her the trip against Fogg's time would occur, and she would be the reporter to go - in just two days! She sailed east toward England on 14 November, 1889.
The Cosmopolitan was a rival magazine in New York. Not to be outdone by Pulitizer, the Cosmopolitan editors suddenly decided - seemingly within minutes of Bly's departure - to send their own female reporter, Elizabeth Bisland, on a world trip with the intent to return to New York before Bly. Bisland left that evening on a train going west to San Francisco.
Both reporters wrote detailed accounts of their journeys. For the first time, their writings have been combined in this book so that a consistent timeline is maintained between both women. The listener can feel the urgency and uniqueness of their travels while fully enjoying the similarities and differences in the authors' styles and their experiences.
Who will win the race?
Elizabeth Cochrane adopted the name of the Stephen Foster song Nelly Bly as her pen name. This famous song is performed in the credits by noted musicians Vivian and Phil Williams and is used with their gracious permission. You can hear more of their music at VoyagerRecords.com.

Show book

Fighting for My Life - How to...

Jamie TenNapel Tyrone, FAAN...

A practical, helpful guide on how to fight back against Alzheimer’s disease—with expert medical advice and one woman’s inspiring personal journey.
Jamie Tyrone was forty-nine years old when she learned by accident through genetic testing that she had a 91% chance of getting Alzheimer's disease. She was shocked, but after an initial bout with depression she decided to take action rather than concede defeat.
Jamie teamed up with Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, a renowned neurologist, and together they created a resource detailing not just Jamie's experience, but expert medical advice for anyone facing the disease.
This book is a practical, helpful guide for those who know they’re at greater risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease. With cutting-edge medical guidance from Dr. Sabbagh about the true nature of Alzheimer’s, the risks involved, and daily steps you can take to protect yourself, Jamie’s story will encourage and empower you.
In Fighting for My Life, readers will:Gain expert medical advice from Dr. Sabbagh on how to fight back against the diseaseDiscover the pros, cons and possible dangers of genetic testingWitness a first-hand account of how to deal with the shadow of Alzheimer’s disease through Jamie’s story
If Alzheimer’s has affected your life or the life of someone you know, this book is for you. You’ll be armed with information and ready to tackle Alzheimer’s head-on.
Visual reference material and additional resources available in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Show book

Lenin on the Train

Catherine Merridale

In April 1917, as Tsar Nicholas II's abdication sent shockwaves across war-torn Europe, the future leader of the Bolshevik revolution, Vladimir Lenin, was far away, exiled in Zurich. To lead the revolt, Lenin needed to return to Petrograd immediately. But to get there, he would have to cross Germany, which meant accepting help from the deadliest of Russia's adversaries and betraying his homeland. Bringing to life a world of counter-espionage, intrigue, wartime desperation, illicit finance, and misguided utopianism,Catherine Merridale provides a riveting account of this pivotal journey as well as the underground conspiracy and subterfuge that went into making it happen.

Show book

My Life in Dire Straits - The...

John Illsley

Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Their classic songs—‘Sultans of Swing’, ‘Romeo  Juliet’, ‘Money for Nothing’, ‘Brothers in Arms’—formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, John Illsley recounts the band’s rise from humble origins in London’s spit-and-sawdust pubs to the best-known venues in the world, the working men’s clubs to Madison Square Garden, sharing gigs with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in the spotlight took their inevitable toll. John’s story is also a tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band’s lead singer, songwriter and gifted guitarist. They were the only band members to stay the fifteen-year distance. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story.

Show book