Home Classical, Ancient Near Eastern & Egyptian Studies Chapter 1. Character change and character development in Plutarch: the significance of education in a range of settings
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Chapter 1. Character change and character development in Plutarch: the significance of education in a range of settings

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Ethical Education in Plutarch
This chapter is in the book Ethical Education in Plutarch
Chapter1Character change andcharacter development in Plutarch:thesignificanceofeducationin arangeofsettings1.1 Plutarch and his theoryofnaturevsnurtureSome eight centuries afterPlutarch’sday,inaculturalenvironment that had de-velopedavested interestinthe Greek literature of antiquity,afascinating workwas produced; it was theBibliotheca(also known asMyriobiblos), the first-evercollection of book reviews compiled by the then Patriarch of ConstantinoplePhotius(ca. 810–after 893). This huge repository of literaryknowledge is stillaprecious resource, not least for the manyreferences it contains to books thathave since been lost.Among his279entries, Photius included several ofPlu-tarch’smainstream works such asOntranquillity of mindandPolitical precepts,but he also addedaless familiar treatise entitledOnnatural endowmentandhard work(Περίτε φύσεως καὶπόνων,Bibliotheca161, 104a Henry) now lost.¹This treatise is an exception inPhotius’list ofPlutarch’sworks in that–append-ed to the title–is ashort synopsis of its content,whichreads as follows:On natural endowment and hardwork:How manymen have often by hardwork correctedan inadequatenatural endowment (πολλοὶπολλάκις πόνῳτὴνφύσιν οὐκεὖφερομένηνὤρθωσαν), while others have spoiledagood one by neglect (ἕτεροι δὲκαλῶςἔχουσανἐξἀμελείας διέφθειραν); also how some men have in theiryouth giveneveryone the impres-sion of beingslow and unintelligent (ἔνιοιἐνμὲννέοις βραδεῖςἐνωρῶντο πᾶσι καὶἀσύνε-τοι), but when they reached their prime,asudden change of character made them quickand intelligent (ἀκμασάντων δὲεἰςτὸταχὺκαὶσυνετὸναὐτοῖςἡφύσιςἐξέλαμψε).(fr.172 Sandbach)Although theabovecitat ionisperhapslessofanextract fr om the originalandmoreof asummary,written byPhotiusafterreading the essayitself, this passage,socon-cise andto thepoint,raises anumberofissuesthat arecentralto Plutarch’stheoryof moral educationasdiscussed in thisbook.Firstofall, it conveysthe traditionalopposition in ancientphilosophical thoughtbetween natureand nurture,juxtapos-inginnatemoral traits andthose painstaking–at timestormenting–effortsat theirThe title does not figure in the Lamprias catalogue, but inclusion in the catalogueisnot acriterion ofauthenticity,given that manyspurious works arecontained in it and manyauthenticones excluded from it.
© 2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston

Chapter1Character change andcharacter development in Plutarch:thesignificanceofeducationin arangeofsettings1.1 Plutarch and his theoryofnaturevsnurtureSome eight centuries afterPlutarch’sday,inaculturalenvironment that had de-velopedavested interestinthe Greek literature of antiquity,afascinating workwas produced; it was theBibliotheca(also known asMyriobiblos), the first-evercollection of book reviews compiled by the then Patriarch of ConstantinoplePhotius(ca. 810–after 893). This huge repository of literaryknowledge is stillaprecious resource, not least for the manyreferences it contains to books thathave since been lost.Among his279entries, Photius included several ofPlu-tarch’smainstream works such asOntranquillity of mindandPolitical precepts,but he also addedaless familiar treatise entitledOnnatural endowmentandhard work(Περίτε φύσεως καὶπόνων,Bibliotheca161, 104a Henry) now lost.¹This treatise is an exception inPhotius’list ofPlutarch’sworks in that–append-ed to the title–is ashort synopsis of its content,whichreads as follows:On natural endowment and hardwork:How manymen have often by hardwork correctedan inadequatenatural endowment (πολλοὶπολλάκις πόνῳτὴνφύσιν οὐκεὖφερομένηνὤρθωσαν), while others have spoiledagood one by neglect (ἕτεροι δὲκαλῶςἔχουσανἐξἀμελείας διέφθειραν); also how some men have in theiryouth giveneveryone the impres-sion of beingslow and unintelligent (ἔνιοιἐνμὲννέοις βραδεῖςἐνωρῶντο πᾶσι καὶἀσύνε-τοι), but when they reached their prime,asudden change of character made them quickand intelligent (ἀκμασάντων δὲεἰςτὸταχὺκαὶσυνετὸναὐτοῖςἡφύσιςἐξέλαμψε).(fr.172 Sandbach)Although theabovecitat ionisperhapslessofanextract fr om the originalandmoreof asummary,written byPhotiusafterreading the essayitself, this passage,socon-cise andto thepoint,raises anumberofissuesthat arecentralto Plutarch’stheoryof moral educationasdiscussed in thisbook.Firstofall, it conveysthe traditionalopposition in ancientphilosophical thoughtbetween natureand nurture,juxtapos-inginnatemoral traits andthose painstaking–at timestormenting–effortsat theirThe title does not figure in the Lamprias catalogue, but inclusion in the catalogueisnot acriterion ofauthenticity,given that manyspurious works arecontained in it and manyauthenticones excluded from it.
© 2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents VII
  3. Preface 1
  4. Editions, abbreviations, and other conventions 3
  5. Symbols, orthography, and transliteration of Greek terms 10
  6. Introduction 11
  7. Chapter 1. Character change and character development in Plutarch: the significance of education in a range of settings 22
  8. Chapter 2. Moral education between parents and children 42
  9. Chapter 3. Moral training in the classroom 79
  10. Chapter 4. The marital chamber as a school for well-ordered comportment: women’s education 108
  11. Chapter 5. Politics as a site of moral education 126
  12. Chapter 6. Moralising in the military field: Plutarch and the ethics of generalship 151
  13. Chapter 7. Educating over wine: moral pedagogy in Plutarch’s Table Talk 173
  14. Conclusion 195
  15. Bibliography 204
  16. Index of names and topics 238
  17. Index of Plutarchan passages 247
  18. Index of passages in other authors 259
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110350463-005

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents VII
  3. Preface 1
  4. Editions, abbreviations, and other conventions 3
  5. Symbols, orthography, and transliteration of Greek terms 10
  6. Introduction 11
  7. Chapter 1. Character change and character development in Plutarch: the significance of education in a range of settings 22
  8. Chapter 2. Moral education between parents and children 42
  9. Chapter 3. Moral training in the classroom 79
  10. Chapter 4. The marital chamber as a school for well-ordered comportment: women’s education 108
  11. Chapter 5. Politics as a site of moral education 126
  12. Chapter 6. Moralising in the military field: Plutarch and the ethics of generalship 151
  13. Chapter 7. Educating over wine: moral pedagogy in Plutarch’s Table Talk 173
  14. Conclusion 195
  15. Bibliography 204
  16. Index of names and topics 238
  17. Index of Plutarchan passages 247
  18. Index of passages in other authors 259
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 21.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110350463-005/html?licenseType=restricted&srsltid=AfmBOopXc1iO9EJuAB9foZFwN4gib9kqgrr-riFo-ks5tTAvauQvkNYt
Scroll to top button