Translated by Frank Cole Babbitt and William W. Goodwin
Plutarch’s works are usually divided into two parts, with the first being the Parallel Lives and the second being the Moralia or ‘Moral Writings’. This latter group is a varied collection of literary criticism, declamations, ethical essays, polemics, political writings and conversation. The Moralia was composed first, while the composition of the Parallel Lives occupied much of the last two decades of Plutarch’s life. Though offering a broad range of subjects, these essays all ultimately aim towards the moral education of their readers. One of the central themes of the Moralia is the idea of a dualistic opposition between the good and evil principles in the world. Unfortunately, later Neo-Platonic philosophers disagreed with Plutarch’s theory, causing some of the more serious philosophical publications to be lost.
Of particular note are the essays On Fraternal Affection, a discourse on honour and affection of siblings toward each other, On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander the Great, an important adjunct to the Life of the great king and On the Worship of Isis and Osiris , a crucial source of information on Egyptian religious rites. A particularly controversial work is On the Malice of Herodotus , in which Plutarch criticises the historian of prejudice and misrepresentation. Plutarch makes some trenchant points, identifying various errors by the historian, but the essay was most likely a rhetorical exercise, in which Plutarch attempts to use his skills to attack a well-known and established writer.
The extant treatises and essays of the Moralia provide an intriguing portrait of Plutarch as a pragmatic philosopher, whose aim is to make his fellow men more virtuous and therefore happier in their lives.