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Greek Philosophy: Thales to Aristotle (Third Edition)
by Reginald E. AllenEvery history of philosophy begins with Thales, and records with proper solemnity his opinion that the source of all things is water. And every beginning student is shocked. Not until he reaches Plato and Aristotle does he find himself in a world recognizably his own, a world whose science, law, and logic are of a type his own experience has made familiar. The pronouncements of philosophers are usually answers to questions, whether or not the questions are explicitly put. If Thales claimed that the source of all things is water, his question must presumably have been, What is the source of all things?
On Christian Doctrine
by Saint Augustine"Since the dawn of the fifth century, theology students, religious scholars, and ordinary Christians have turned to this volume for instruction. Written by one of the foremost leaders in the development of Christian thought, it offers clear guidance on how to read the Bible and understand the true meaning of scripture."-amazon.com
Mandragola
by Niccolo Machiavelli Anne Paolucci Henry PaolucciWritten somewhere between 1512 and 1520, this is a comedic play in which a love stuck young man tries to win the affections of the young, beautiful wife of an old doctor.
The Nicomachean Ethics
by AristotleEnduringly profound treatise, whose lasting effect on Western philosophy continues to resonate. Aristotle identifies the goal of life as happiness and discusses its attainment through the contemplation of philosophic truth. Translated, with notes and introduction by Martin Ostwald.
Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics
by Immanuel Kant Lewis White BeckKant’s Prolegomena -- its full title, in the eighteenth-century manner, is Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics Which Will Be Able to Come Forth as Science -- is a classic in metaphysics and the theory of knowledge. It deals with the perennially baffling questions: How do we know? How much can we know? Its answers to these questions are interesting especially now. We live in one of the recurring periods of intellectual and cultural history that are skeptical and impatient of systems of speculative metaphysics, and a distrust of speculation is the leading motif of the Prolegomena. Though Kant's arguments against speculative metaphysics differ from those of our contemporaries, in some of his results he anticipates their negative conclusions. The Prolegomena, however, is not interesting merely as an historical anticipation of recent views; indeed, as such it has been as it were condemned in advance by Kant (Prolegomena, Introduction). Rather, its chief interest to the student of philosophy is probably the way in which it goes beyond and against the views of contemporary positivism. The book is therefore a challenge both to those who think metaphysical knowledge of the ultimate nature of things is possible and to those who regard metaphysics as comprising only pious wishes and rationalizations, “poetry”, "nonsense," and "pseudoproblems." The Prolegomena is, moreover, the best of all introductions to that vast and obscure masterpiece, the Critique of Pure Reason. It is a guide through what Kant himself calls the "thorny paths" of that work. Because of the central position the Critique occupies in philosophy, the Prolegomena thus makes a major contribution to an understanding of the chief problems of general philosophy, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, philosophy of science, and ethics. It has an exemplary lucidity and wit, making it unique among Kant's greater works and uniquely suitable as a textbook of the Kantian philosophy.
Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals
by Immanuel Kant Lewis White BeckImmanuel Kant is known for his philosphy of ethics in relation to taking actions according to a categorical imperative and with the intent of dutifulness, rather than acting on ones desires or expectations of outcomes. This book is considered to be a summary of Kant's philosophy of ethics, written for a wider audience than most of his other works. Still, it is Kant and it is philosophy, so it is pretty deep reading. This book also includes a short essay titled, What is Enlightenment. This book is translated from German, but still retains a few German words, along with the Latin words common in books of philosophy. In addition to the regular page numbers, this book also has page numbers from a standard edition of Kant's works. In the printed version, these numbers were in the margin. In this copy they are in the text next to the word they were nearest in the printed text. This means they are often in the middle of a sentance.
The Girl With Seven Names
by Hyeonseo LeeAn extraordinary insight into life under one of the worldâe(tm)s most ruthless and secretive dictatorships âe" and the story of one womanâe(tm)s terrifying struggle to avoid capture/repatriation and guide her family to freedom. As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal communist regime. Her home on the border with China gave her some exposure to the world beyond the confines of the Hermit Kingdom and, as the famine of the 1990s struck, she began to wonder, question and to realise that she had been brainwashed her entire life. Given the repression, poverty and starvation she witnessed surely her country could not be, as she had been told âeoethe best on the planetâe ? Aged seventeen, she decided to escape North Korea. She could not have imagined that it would be twelve years before she was reunited with her family. She could not return, since rumours of her escape were spreading, and she and her family could incur the punishments of the government authorities âe" involving imprisonment, torture, and possible public execution. Hyeonseo instead remained in China and rapidly learned Chinese in an effort to adapt and survive. Twelve years and two lifetimes later, she would return to the North Korean border in a daring mission to spirit her mother and brother to South Korea, on one of the most arduous, costly and dangerous journeys imaginable. This is the unique story not only of Hyeonseoâe(tm)s escape from the darkness into the light, but also of her coming of age, education and the resolve she found to rebuild her life âe" not once, but twice âe" first in China, then in South Korea. Strong, brave and eloquent, this memoir is a triumph of her remarkable spirit.
The Whole World is a Single Flower
by Stephen Mitchell Seung SahnThis remarkable book is of great importance not only for the variety of the 365 kong-ans, but for Zen Master Seung Sahn's own questions and commentary which accompany each kong-an. This prodding and guidance serve as guideposts along a difficult road to enlightenment. The kong-ans themselves and practice for life-practice for life-practice for answering the questions which are profound and practical arising everyday.
Teach Yourself Philosophy of Religion
by Mel ThompsonThe philosophy of religion examines the general ideas and principles upon which religion is based. It takes the beliefs that religious people hold to be true. The philosophy of religion is not just about logical arguments but about the meaning and significance religion has in people's lives, and what it is that leads some people to follow and others to reject a religion. The philosophy of religion takes religious beliefs and asks how they are to be understood, if they make sense, and if they fit with the rest of our knowledge of the universe.
Teach Yourself Jung
by Ruth SnowdenCarl Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who is famous for founding a new system of psychology that he called 'analytical psychology'. Jung has gradually acquired a huge following and many therapists today are trained in the Jungian method. However, his work also contains many important insights into the lives of humankind, far beyond the field of therapy, that have only recently begun to be more widely understood. He was one of the first great thinkers to try and bridge gaps between the thinking of East and West, Christian and pagan. He demonstrated ways in which Western culture, so bound up in science and logic, was often sadly deficient in the spiritual awareness and subjective insight shown in other cultures and at other times in history. This book provides a general introduction to both Jung and his work, and the section at the end, Taking it further, suggests ways in which you can continue your study of this fascinating and great thinker.
The Psychology of Beauty
by Ethel D. PufferTHE human being who thrills to the experience of beauty in nature and in art does not forever rest with that experience unquestioned. The day comes when he yearns to pierce the secret of his emotion, to discover what it is, and why, that has so stung him--to defend and to justify his transport to himself and to others. He seeks a reason for the faith that is in him. And so have arisen the speculative theories of the nature of beauty, on the one hand, and the studies of concrete beauty and our feelings about it, on the other.
Some Turns of Thought in Modern Philosophy: Five Essays
by George SantayanaThis work contains five essays on modern philosophy entitled: Locke and the Frontiers of Common Sense; Fifty Years of British Idealism; Revolutions in Science; A Long Way Round to Nirvana; The Prestige of the Infinite.
Ancient Greece
by Robert PayneA history of Greece from its founding to the advent of Philip of Macedon. Covers all aspects of Greek life, philosophy and literature.
The Second Stage
by Betty FriedanFriedan in her book, says that once past the initial phases of working against injustices, the women's movement should focus on working with men to remake private and public planning that work against full lives with children for them.
Colloquies on Society
by Robert SoutheyA 19th-Century author examines the questions of society in the form of discussions with the ghost of Sir Thomas More.
Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton
by David GergenFrom Nixon to Clinton, Watergate to Whitewater, few Americans have observed the ups and downs of presidential leadership more closely over the past thirty years than David Gergen. A White House adviser to four presidents, both Republican and Democrat, he offers a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of their struggles to exer- cise power and draws from them key lessons for leaders of the future. Gergen begins Eyewitness to Power with his reminiscence of being the thirty-year-old chief of the White House speechwriting team under Richard Nixon, a young man at the center of the Watergate storm. He analyzes what made Nixon strong-and then brought him crashing down: Why Nixon was the best global strategist among recent presidents. How others may gain his strategic sense. How Nixon allowed his presidency to spin out of control. Why the demons within destroyed him. What lessons there are in Nixon's disaster. Gergen recounts how President Ford recruited him to help shore up his White House as special counsel. Here Gergen considers: Why Ford is one of our most underrated presidents. Why his pardon of Nixon was right on the merits but was so mishandled that it cost him his presidency. Even in his brief tenure, Ford offers lessons of leadership for others, as Gergen explains. Though Gergen had worked in two campaigns against him, Ronald Reagan called him back to the White House again, where he served as the Gipper's first director of communications. Here he describes: How Reagan succeeded where others have failed. Why his temperament was more important than his intelligence. How he mastered relations with Congress and the press. The secrets of "the Great Communicator" and why his speeches were the most effective since those of John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.