Anónimo

Alec Guinness reads a selection of his favourite poetry including works by Longfellow, Crashaw, and Vaughan.

Sir Nigel Hawthorne's inspiring reading brings to life this new translation of Lao Tzu's 2,500 year old Chinese classic. Probably the most influential spiritual book in human history, the Tao Te Ching translates as The Classic of The Tao and Its Power. In 80 short chapters, it reveals a profound view of the Tao, a unique and satisfying way of life and nature.

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?

More than 2,000 years later, Plato's Republic remains astonishingly relevant to our everyday lives. It poses one question after another that might well have been drawn from the headlines and debates of our nation's recent history: What sort of person should rule the state? Are all citizens equal before the law? Should everyone have equal access to health care? Plato's greater inquiry, however, was into the question of defining justice itself and the reasons why a person would choose a life aligned with that virtue.