Western Philosophy

From Socrates' fascinating discussions of morality and virtue to Pythagoras' attempts to understand the arrangement of the cosmos, the thinkers of the ancient world provided us with an astonishing array of ideas that has helped to shape the modern world.

Between Emptiness and Being: The Buddha and the Western Mind is a profound dialogue between two civilizations of thought — the contemplative East and the analytic West. Where Buddhism dissolves the illusion of permanence, Western philosophy constructs systems to preserve it. Between the silence of the Buddha and the speech of metaphysics lies the forgotten middle ground where awareness itself becomes understanding.

In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Christopher Taylor explores the life of Socrates and his philosophical activity, before looking to the responses his philosophical doctrines have evoked in the centuries since his betrayal and execution at fellow Athenian hands.

In a world flooded with simplified “guides to Daoism,” this book dares to think. Flowing with the Dao is not another interpretation of Laozi’s verses—it is a living conversation between East and West, between the silent wisdom of the Dao and the analytical rigor of Western philosophy. Here the listener discovers how the Dao can illuminate existentialism, soften Stoicism, balance science with wonder, and transform ethical thought without resorting to mysticism. Each chapter unfolds as a bridge: between intuition and intellect, serenity and action, mystery and method.

"The perfect guide for a course correction in life" (Deepak Chopra) that teaches us how to enjoy a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the spiritual in our present troubled times. Drawing on his experiences as a former priest, Watts skillfully explains how the intuition of Eastern...

In this very short introduction, Tim Bayne introduces the field of philosophy of religion and engages with some of the most burning questions philosophers discuss.

Here, we come to the very heart of Mahayana Buddhism and of Zen--the doctrine of prajna, particularly as it appears in Hui-Neng and his followers. The Void, which is the topic of this book, this emptiness or nothingness that stands so magnificently alone, is certainly no mere void, no common emptiness, no negligible nothingness, for it is conscious of itself as void and empty and nothing. This very statement is sufficient evidence of the fact!

Los filósofos de oriente (China, otros países de Asia, etc.) tienen muchas cosas en común con los filósofos antiguos de occidente (Grecia, Eurasia, etc.). Pero también hay diferencias. En esta guía, destacaremos y compararemos algunas de estas diferencias y similitudes. Algunos otros capítulos están dedicados a varios filósofos de ambas regiones del mundo, a saber, Pitágoras, Mo Ti y Aristippus de Cyrene. Junto con esto, aprenderá sobre tradiciones generales, patrones de pensamiento y mucho más.

Have you ever wondered why the Mali Empire was so wealthy and well-known? Find your answer in our guide about the Mali Empire, and learn about its foundation and rise to fame under Mansa Musa. Within this audiobook, you’ll listen to the humble beginnings and hardships that befell Sundiata Keita as he founded the Mali Empire. His thrilling story leads into how the empire was structured and its early laws and customs.

The co-editors of Gnosis magazine explore the many esoteric traditions that Western culture has to offer. While terms from Eastern spiritual practices such as Zen, mantra, and karma have become part of our daily lexicon, the traditions of Western spirituality have been largely unexplored by people searching for non-mainstream routes to spiritual experience. But for those who identify with Western culture, Western religious traditions have their own wisdom teachings that are more suitable to their needs and expectations.

From Socrates' fascinating discussions of morality and virtue to Pythagoras' attempts to understand the arrangement of the cosmos, the thinkers of the ancient world provided us with an astonishing array of ideas that has helped to shape the modern world. Ranging across Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy from Anaximander to Plotinus, Knowledge in a Nutshell: Classical Philosophy explains important ideas such as Plato's Theory of Forms, Zeno's Paradox, and the Stoicism of Marcus Aurelius. This essential introduction brings the great ideas of antiquity to everyone.

In American Philosophy, John Kaag - a disillusioned philosopher at sea in his marriage and career - stumbles upon a treasure trove of rare books on an old estate in the hinterlands of New Hampshire that once belonged to the Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking. The library includes notes from Whitman, inscriptions from Frost, and first editions of Hobbes, Descartes, and Kant. As he begins to catalog and preserve these priceless books, Kaag rediscovers the very tenets of American philosophy.

Did you know that the barbarian tribe known as the Franks were the founders of present-day France? After assimilating with the Romans in the imperial province of Gaul, the Franks established a unified dominion under King Clovis in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. Under Clovis’ successors, the Frankish kingdom fractured. Warring factions of Franks, under the leadership of the royal descendants of Clovis, imprisoned or more often killed each other. They forced the luckiest of their rivals into monasteries and removed potential royal wives by exiling them to convents.

Sometime in the future, when social scientists begin to write the first books about the failures of the West and the defunct American experiment, they will all confront this basic truth. Despite all the proclamations of freedom and equality, the realities of racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, and gross economic inequalities constantly belied these ideals. The narcissism and the racism the US and the West harbors through their blind commitment to individualism is destabilizing enough on its own to terrorize and implode nation-states.

This audiobook will trace Western civilization back to its roots. In this epic quest, we head all the way back to Greece when Greek philosophers like Socrates and Plato pondered the very meaning of life. Explore the depths of knowledge that were probed by Greek schools of thought, such as the Stoics and the Cynics.

The award-winning political theorist Yoram Hazony argues that the best hope for Western democracy is a return to the empiricist, religious, and nationalist traditions of America and Britain—the conservative traditions that brought greatness to the English-speaking nations and became the model for national freedom for the entire world. Conservatism: A Rediscovery explains how Anglo-American conservatism became a distinctive alternative to divine-right monarchy, Puritan theocracy, and liberal revolution.

What do Aristotle, Buddha, Seneca, Nietzsche, Kabbalah, and Plato, have in common? They worked tirelessly toward understanding and enlightenment. Walk the path of the great thinkers of the past with History of Philosophy: Overview of Eastern Philosophy, Western Philosophy, and the Most Important Thinkers through the Ages. War, innovation, courage, and revolution shaped the world as it is today, but the great philosophers of the past shaped our thoughts, religions, and minds. They worked as teachers, spiritual leaders, and scholars to harness the power of logic and critical thinking, creating a foundation of thought that led to humankind's understanding of the unity of life and the universe.

Unlock the profound intellect of René Descartes, the renowned philosopher whose ideas continue to shape our understanding of the world. "The Descartes Dictionary" invites you on an enlightening exploration of his most frequent words and ideas, providing a comprehensive guide to his revolutionary philosophy. With each entry, gain an in-depth understanding of Descartes' vocabulary and the profound implications behind his words. Engage with the complex interplay of reason and faith, and discover the profound implications of Descartes' views on God, creation, and divine providence.

What is it exactly that made for the greatness of Western Civilization? Why did it have its ups and downs, and where do things seem headed today? Ultimately, this two-volume series is as much a political-moral teaching as it is a presentation of the details of the West's wonderful (and sometimes tragic) historical record.

What is consciousness? This audiobook presents an understanding of life that transcends matter. More importantly, it transcends the difference between what you are and what I am. Despite its reliance on what is known through Western Science, it is a transcendence of the Western understanding of reality. It does not begin with a world and then try to figure out how life evolved within it; it begins with life and extrapolates where the world came from.