Classics Literature Philosophy

Utilitarianism is a book released in 1863 by John Stuart Mill to provide the support for the value of utilitarianism as a moral theory and to respond to misconceptions about it. =The book consists of five chapters; the introduction to the essay, the definition of utilitarianism and its common criticisms, the rewards it can offer the methods of proving its validity and in the final chapter looks at the connection between justice and utility and argues that happiness is the foundation of justice.

Selections from Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Civil Disobedience, and Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Introduction to Thoreau", "Self-Reliance", "Nature", "The American Scholar", "Education", and "Politics". Thoreau dedicated his life to preserving his freedom as a man and an artist.

As a compilation of notable fragments from the writings of German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel, this audiobook functions as a helpful and intriguing introduction to the keynotes of his thought. This audiobook, comprised of short selections from Hegel's writings and organized by theme, includes a preface by Elizabeth Haldane and a foreword by Sarah Bacaller. Each Hegelian fragment includes a reference to its original source for those who want to further pursue particular selections.

The Phaedrus by Plato, is a dialogue between Plato's protagonist, Socrates, and Phaedrus, an interlocutor in several dialogues. It was probably written around 370 BC, at about the same time as Plato's Republic and Symposium. Ostensibly about love, the discussion in the dialogue focuses on the art of rhetoric and how it ought to be practiced. The dialogue appears in the direct words of Socrates and Phaedrus, without an introduction.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by LitHub A new collection of vivid, personal and provocative work from the author of Or to Begin Again, a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award in poetry In Ann Lauterbach’s eleventh collection, the image of a Door recurs across several poems, as she...

Here is the world's most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor, The Prince is a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince, a king, a president.

So unausbleiblich wie die Katze spinnt, wenn man sie streichelt, malt süße Wonne sich auf das Gesicht des Menschen, den man lobt und zwar in dem Felde seiner Prätension, sei das Lob auch handgreiflich lügenhaft. Oft trösten ihn über reales Unglück oder über die Kargheit, mit der für ihn die beiden, bis hier her abgehandelten Hauptquellen unseres Glückes fließen, die Zeichen des fremden Beifalls.

Um jedoch in die große Mannigfaltigkeit der hierher gehörigen Ansichten und Ratschläge einige Ordnung zu bringen, will ich sie einteilen in allgemeine, in solche, welche unser Verhalten gegen uns selbst, dann gegen andere, und endlich gegen den Weltlauf und das Schicksal betreffen.

Mit "Also sprach Zarathustra" hat Nietzsche ein faszinierendes Hauptwerk geschaffen, einen Meilenstein der Weltliteratur. In drei zentralen Formeln fasst er seine Philosophie zusammen: der Wille zur Macht, die ewige Wiederkehr des Gleichen und der Übermensch. "Gott ist tot."

The American Scholar was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1837 to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard College. Emerson argues that American culture, still heavily influenced by Europe, could build a new, distinctly American cultural identity. Emerson uses Transcendentalist and Romantic points of view to explain a true American scholar's relationship to nature.

In Manners, Ralph Waldo Emerson expounds on the meaning of customs and politeness in civil society. He argues that the purpose of manners is more to facilitate the creation and proper working of society and not to establish hierarchies.

Considered the pioneer of modern inspirational thought and motivation, James Allen (1864 - 1912) published As a Man Thinketh in 1903. This is a powerful little self-help treatise, which essentially discusses how, by adjusting the way we think in response to external circumstances, we can shape our lives, personally, professionally, physically, and psychologically, towards the ultimate goal of inner peace and serenity.

This small handbook of the theory and practice of Stoic philosophy has become one of the most influential of all texts from the ancient world. It has been a source of inspiration to rulers, philosophers, and social theorists, and its cogent prescriptions about the management of one's personal life can be applied with great benefit in the hectic and confused world of today.

The New Atlantis (1627) is a utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon in which he describes a vision of the future of human discovery, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humanity. The novel portrays a utopian world where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendour, piety and public spirit" are the dominant qualities of the inhabitants.

The Prophet is Kahlil Gibran's most famous work. He focuses on human relationships, as well as many other topics, including love, friendship, passion, work, good and evil, and time in a beautiful, simple, lyrical style.

The Tao Te Ching by Lao-tzu is one of the most translated books of world literature. It is here presented in a translation that deliberately avoids any philosophical commentary and renders the text in English in its most simple and straightforward composure.

Sun Tzu's book, The Art of War, is a detailed outline of how to win a war, taken from principles in Chinese science and philosophy. This ideology is divided up into three different parts and is written in a circular way with the first and last chapters relating to the same ideas and tying it all together.

"Zadig" is a work of philosophical fiction by the famous Enlightenment writer Voltaire. It is a delightful mix of political satire and insightful challenge of religious and metaphysical orthodoxy, with its main character undergoing a complete moral revolution while human life is presented as in the hands of a destiny beyond human control. Along with absolute stylistic mastery, Zadig provides insight into the nature of free will, in a story whose fast pace follows the highs and lows bestowed by Fortune on the hero.

The title of this work does not refer to the biblical Antichrist but is a criticism of institutionalized religion and the priestly class. The book is an attack on what Nietzsche considered the "slave morality" and apathy of Western Christianity. Nietzsche argues that Christianity poisons western culture and perverts the words of and practice of Jesus.

Franz Kafka wurde 1883 in Prag geboren. Er starb 1924 in Klosterneuburg, Österreich. Die Erzählung "Die Verwandlung" (1912) zählt zu den bekanntesten Werken Kafkas und ist ein Meisterstück symbolisch-parabelhafter Erzählkunst. Der Autor vereint meisterhaft anschauliche Sprache mit spannender Handlung und bitter-süßer Ironie.