Sophie's World

Dialogues of Plato by Plato (399-387 BC)

The Dialogues of Plato, written by Plato in ancient Athens, are a record of the teachings, theories, and discussions he had with others and includes many of the ideas that Socrates, his teacher, presented. Since Plato is one of the foundational figures in philosophy, his dialogues may shed light on some of the missing elements within Sophie’s World and will help to fully explain Plato’s and Socrates’s theories.

• Plato on SuperSummary

The Organon by Aristotle (written in ~350-330 BC, published officially in 40 BC)

Aristotle’s works on politics, the pursuit of happiness, the categories of species, and linguistics, among many other topics laid the foundation for modern fields such as economics, political science, psychology, and biology. Although Aristotle had a subjugated view of women, many of his ideas were centuries ahead of their time. Aristotle was passionate about observing nature and finding explanations for natural causes within nature itself rather than outside of it in a supernatural God or realm. Many of his theories are still in use today.

Declaration on the Rights of Women by Marie Olympe Gouges (1791)

Marie Olympe Gouges was the first woman to publish her thoughts about the natural rights of women.