Showing results by publisher "MSAC Philosophy Group" in Literature & Fiction

Iamblichus' famous biography of Pythagoras, which has been republished by the MSAC Philosophy Group. Details the interesting life narrative of the one of the great thinkers in the early Greek world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a paradoxical figure in American society. He represents the very height of individualism and blazing one's own path, but during his lifetime his views were considered so radical that Harvard College, despite Emerson being an honored student there, banned him from speaking for some three decades after he gave his 1838 speech on transcendentalism. Today, of course, Emerson is heralded as one of the great Americans of the 19th century. Harvard even has a building named after him.

Charles Sanders Peirce is perhaps the greatest philosophical mind to emerge from the United States. He was hugely influential on William James, Alfred North Whitehead, and many other eminent thinkers. This small volume includes two famous essays by Peirce, "The Fixation of Belief" and "Questions Concerning Certain Faculties Claimed for Man." Also included is a short, intellectual biography of Peirce which focuses on his many contributions to science and philosophy. Chosen and very slightly edited by Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD.

This a classic occult novel from the late 19th century that touches upon such themes as karma, reincarnation, secret societies, meditation, yoga, Saint Germain, conspiracies, and much more.

Many critics consider "Rain" to be Maugham's finest short story and it has proven to be wildly successful for an essay that is less than 16,000 words, eventually earning him over a million dollars. What makes the story standout, besides its exotic setting in the South Pacific, is the archetypal conflict between the pull of the flesh and the pull of the spirit.

I first read Edward Fitzgerald’s celebrated, if controversial, version of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat when I happened upon it in my father’s extensive library when I was a sophomore at Notre Dame High School. While there is much debate about Omar Khayyam’s philosophical outlook (is his message Sufi-oriented or existentially hedonistic?), there is no doubting its beauty and its profundity of thought.

"Honolulu" is a famous short story by Somerset Maugham that was part of his larger collection The Trembling Leaf. 

This is a delightful selection of old magical stories from the Punjab, including the wonderful adventures of Raja Rasalu. Reminds one, of course, of the Arabian Nights. Enthralling and enjoyable from a forgotten time not too long ago. 

This is a collection of classic stories, with Buddhist ethical teaching, as re-dramatized by Ellen C. Babbitt. Great stories for all ages, drawn from ancient lore in India. 

Presents the famous Socratic dialogues as presented by his most noted disciple, Plato. Designed to encourage a discussion of age-old philosophical questions concerning the meaning of life and death. This is an abridged edition of the dialogues.

This audiobook on Kabir, the great Indian mystic, contains selected poems from the Sikh's holy book Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The narration illuminates the deep insights of this wonderful saint-poet. It also includes a brief introduction and biography.

This audiobook focuses on two of Samuel Butler's more intriguing writings concerning machine evolution and intelligence, including his most famous piece, "Darwin Among the Machines", and his chapter on Erewhon in "The Book of the Machines". Professor David Christopher Lane has written a brief introduction. Also included is a small biography of Samuel Butler.

This is the legendary story of Princess Kelea, the magnificent surfer of Maui, and the royal intrigue and competition that surrounded her life. As retold by His Hawaiian Majesty Kalakaua. 

This is a delightful and insightful analysis of the following authors: Dante, Nietzsche, Tolstoy, Maeterlinck's Essays, Joseph Conrad, Strindberg, Tagore, Remy de Gourmont, Swift's Relations with Women, William James, Man of Letters, Biographies of Poe, Biographies of Whitman, George E. Woodberry, Abraham Cahan, Thomas Hardy, George Borrow, Shelley, H. G. Wells and Utopia, John Masefield, Shakespeare and the Scribes, George Moore and other Irish Writers, James Joyce, and D.H. Lawrence. 

This is an enchanting book filled with wondrous folk-tales from India, replete with explanatory notes. 

This is a fascinating tale about old Hawaii and their traditional customs told within a poignant narrative about life, struggle, and survival. Includes an excellent glossary of terms.

Across Earth's radiant civilization lay the death-shot shadows of the hideous globe-headed dwarfs from Mars. One lone Earth-ship dared the treachery blockade, risking the planetoid's peril to find Earth's life element on mysterious Saturn of the 10 terrible rings.

This is a classic book containing fantastic tales told during the reign of the Mighty Akbar in India. Delightfully refashioned by Edmund Mitchell, with a format edited by Professor David Christopher Lane.

Magical animal stories from more than a century ago placed in a nice new edition for listeners young and old. These are ancient Eskimo tales retold in an accessible fashion, often with a deeper meaning.

In our postmodern age, with all things socially mediated, we often forget those wise sages of years past, who had deeper insights about how to live life, than we might have imagined. We may consider ourselves more educated and more skeptically resistant to those myths that trapped our ancestors centuries ago, but that is not always the case.