Classics Literature Philosophy

Après avoir échoué dans sa collaboration à l'Encyclopédie, Voltaire conçoit l'idée de condenser dans un seul ouvrage l'essentiel de ses pensées philosophiques.

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.

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

"Philosophy in the Bedroom" ("La philosophie dans le boudoir") was written in 1795 by the Marquis de Sade, while imprisoned in the Bastille. It is a work of erotism, laced with socio-political subversion. The main characters are libertines, who decided to give a young maiden their own brand of sex education. They explain to her that pleasure is the most important goal of all, and then proceed with affirming that she will not be able to feel "true pleasure" without pain.

The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. It is sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy, especially modern political philosophy, in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. It was also in direct conflict with the dominant Catholic and scholastic doctrines of the time concerning politics and ethics.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was the first American philosopher to seriously consider Nature as an essential component of human serenity. The carefully chosen chosen selections in this audiobook include essays interspersed with classic Emerson poetry.

Published in the February 1916 issue of her magazine, Mother Earth, Goldman states that it is only by totally rejecting the idea of God that mankind can break away from the crutch of religion and achieve true freedom. Goldman argued that religion is irrational, destructive, and harmful.

This is the first in a series of reissued classic stories that were written during the golden age of science fiction. A fascinating glimpse into the past and how it envisioned the future.

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist, and tactician. The text is composed of 13 chapters, each devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is commonly considered to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. It has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics, and "for the last 2,000 years it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name."

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American philosopher, lecturer, essayist, and poet, who is best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was a a champion of individualism and wrote dozens of essays. Most criics consider "Self-Reliance" his best. It has the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's repeating themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency.

The world's great philosophers have always wrestled with the crucial questions about human nature and the world we live in. A Short History of Philosophy takes you on an entertaining and informative journey through the landscape of western philosophy from Plato to Jean-Paul Sartre. Whether discussing the origins of metaphysics, the merits of idealism, or the questions raised by existentialism, Peter Gibson brings to life the ideas of these great thinkers and carefully explains their reasoning in straightforward, easy-to-understand language.

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.

"The Twilight of the Idols" was written by Nietzsche in 1888 as a short introduction to his work. In it, he labels the era’s German culture as decadent and nihilistic, and criticizes certain British, French and Italian cultural figures who, in his view, represented similar tendencies. By decadence, he means a fading of life, vitality and an embrace of weakness. In contrast to those alleged representatives of cultural decadence, Nietzsche holds up historical personages like Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Goethe, Thucydides and the Sophist philosophers as healthier types.

Закони війни учителя Суня (Так буквально перекладається всесвітновідоме Мистецтво війни) — це стародавній (йому понад 2500 років!) китайський трактат, авторство якого приписується генералу й стратегу Сун Цзи, що жив наприкінці періоду Чуньцю або ж на початку періоду Чжаньго. Не треба думати, що цей текст –лише відголосок сивої давнини, цікавої лише історикам. Натомість його і сьогодні вивчають, наприклад, в армії США, на філософських та політологічних студіях провідних університетів світу. Сун Цзи вважав війну необхідним злом.

Esta obra es importante no porque sus reflexiones sean una invitacion a practicar la guerra, sino porque para Sun Tzu la guerra es algo mas que la simple fuerza bruta y la irracionalidad de la destruccion. Se trata del arte de evitar los conflictos; requiere de una sabiduria mayor, pero sobre todo, exige de nuestra parte una gran sensibilidad para detectar cuales son las exigencias que nos demanda la armonia universal. Please Note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

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.

Thought to have been written over 3,000 years ago, this missive has been included as a course of study in the US Marine Corps and military academies. These precepts have destroyed nations and built business empires. An executive, a general, a congressman, a businessperson, a student, or anybody just wanting to get ahead should pay heed to this missive.

Walking was first published in the June 1862 issue of Atlantic Monthly. In this treatise, Thoreau reminds us of how the primal act of walking connects us with nature. He argues that the genius of walking does not lie in mechanically putting one foot in front of the other toward to a destination, but in mastering the art of sauntering. The themes of Walking include freedom, self-reflection, and exploration. Thoreau states that the act of walking marks the human being as an inhabitant, or part and parcel of nature, rather than a member of society.

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.

Sun Tzu's iconic treatise, The Art of War, has been studied by military historians and strategists for centuries. The concepts he recommends remain as effective and his advice as perceptive today as it has ever been. However, The Art of War is certainly not only of use to individuals in the military. The principles he lays out are remarkably applicable to a wide variety of professions and situations, from business to politics to everyday interpersonal relationships.