Great Philosophers

"The Prince" is the most famous of Machiavelli's works; it gives very clear, precise and realistic instructions on how to gain and maintain power, fortune, and glory, sometimes at the expense of others. Written in 1513, it is one of the most feared and hated political treatises, taken to be the first work in which the effect the leader desires to achieve is taken as more important than any abstract ideal or ethical value that might prevent him from taking immoral action.

Voltaire was a French writer famous for his wit and irony. They were his tools for launching vitriolic attacks on the established Catholic church, the adversaries of freedom of religion and expression, and on separation of church and state. His prolific writing took almost every possible literary form: plays, novels, essays, but also poems, historical and scientific works.

Henry David Thoreau is a beloved American author, poet and philosopher. He was a lifelong abolitionist, advocate of civil disobedience againts unjust or corrupted goverments, and he defended the idea of abandoning illusory matters in favor of simple living, in order to discover life's authentic essential needs. He is best known for "Walden, or Life in the woods", the book he wrote during his two-year experiment in minimalist living: having built himself a cabin in the woods, he stayed there to study, write, and enjoy his newfound communion with nature. His political works and theory of civil disobedience have influenced the thoughts and actions of many prominent figures, such as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wisdom is a much-needed quality these days. We have selected for you 100 of the wisest sayings ever pronounced. They are taken from various cultural backgrounds to demonstrate that wisdom transcends frontiers. Let yourself be led with them into a journey around the world, across cultures and continents: you will find here deep quotes from the Talmud, efficient ones from Ancient Greek masters like Plato or Sophocles, poetic wise sayings by Indian sages, and numerous examples of Persian and Ancient Chinese Wisdom.

Nietzsche is a major figure in Western philosophy. His work is radical, sometimes violent, often ironic; it fascinates anyone bold enough to delve into it, exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history, and covers a wide range of subjects. Nietzsche's writings border on the poetic; his aphorisms are particularly well-known for conveying all the radicality of his thinking in a intense but light, sometimes amusing manner.

Baruch Spinoza was one of the most important and controversial thinkers of the 17th century. He rejected both the mind-body dualism of Descartes and traditional religious views, which got him violently attacked for atheism while he was actually seeking to redefine God as the whole of the laws of Nature. His metaphysics are a brilliant attempt to reconcile human freedom with a belief in scientific explanation, and his Theological-Political Treatise, the first argument for democracy by a major philosopher, contributed as much as the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine's Common Sense to modern liberal, secular, and democratic thinking.

Humanly Possible is a wide-ranging, personal, thought-provoking and entertaining journey through the battle of ideas over some 700 years of history—mostly, but not exclusively, in Europe. Through a mixture of biography and philosophy, Bakewell seeks to understand what humanism is, why it has continued to flourish despite opposition from fanatics, mystics, tyrants and cultural pessimists of all kinds, and exactly why we should value and defend it in the 21st century.

From the Introduction: "Every biography is a story of adventure. The energetic personalities of the world represent an adventure in living. The philosophical personalities, on the other hand, represent an adventure in thinking. And when we examine the lives of the philosophers we find that the procession of a man's thoughts can be as exciting a spectacle as the pageantry of a man's deeds."

In Simply Hegel, Robert L. Wicks presents Hegel’s revolutionary philosophy in clear and simple language, illuminating not only his basic ideas, but also the deeper meanings hidden within the book. Wicks’s analysis also contextualizes Hegel’s thought by providing a vivid chronology of his times, which included such earth-shaking events as the French Revolution and Napoleon’s invasion of Prussia.

In Simply Chomsky, Professor Raphael Salkie provides a compact, user-friendly introduction to Noam Chomsky’s political activism and his groundbreaking work in linguistics. Unlike most Chomsky studies, Prof. Salkie not only covers the essentials of Chomsky’s thought and accomplishments, but also explores his most recent concerns - including the climate crisis, the threat of nuclear holocaust, and current geopolitical hotspots - which are often very different from the topics that preoccupied him decades ago.

A dazzlingly original account of the life and thought of Adam Smith, the greatest economist of all time. In Adam Smith, political philosopher Jesse Norman dispels the myths and caricatures, and provides a far more complex portrait of the man. Offering a highly engaging account of Smith's life and times, Norman explores his work as a whole and traces his influence over two centuries to the present day. Finally, he shows how a proper understanding of Smith can help us address the problems of modern capitalism.

Immerse yourself in the world of profound thinkers and revolutionary ideas with "Immersed in Thought" - a captivating journey through the history of Western philosophy. This compelling eBook is a must-read for anyone seeking to explore the fascinating realm of ideas that have shaped the course of human history, from ancient Greece to contemporary times. Dive into the rich tapestry of philosophical thought across 25 insightful chapters that cover invigorating concepts and timeless wisdom from influential thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Rousseau, Kant, Nietzsche, and ...

While we tend to think of the great thinkers as hailing from Ancient Greece, the 20th century has had more than its fair share of sharp minds. "500 Quotations from the Great Philosophers of the 20th Century" is a collection of reflections, insights, and observations from some of the best brains of that era. A superb book for dipping in and out of, this makes a great gift for anyone with an interest in history or philosophy.

Schopenhauer: here's when great philosophy can be somber, pessimistic, even brutal, and still resonate with a sarcastic laugh. He was among the first to contend that the universe is essentially not a rational place; in his most famous work, "The World as Will and Representation", he argues that the individuals of a species do not have as much free will as is ordinarily thought, as the only Will that matters is that of the species, which is to reproduce and carry on. Schopenhauer is very well-known for his radical stance on women, aesthetics, and rhetoric; he is the author of "The Art of Being Right", a playful manual designed to utterly crush one's opponent in verbal battle, and of the "Metaphysics of the Love of the Sexes", a hilarious application of the theories developed in the "World as Will and Representation".

Our political and religious leaders have failed us. Despotism is on the rise. Countries teeter on the brink of war, and others smolder within, threatening nuclear standoffs that rattle a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Self-interest and greed hobble our abilities to stand up against these growing threats. Scribes of the Tribe: Our Greatest Thinkers on Religion and Ethics offers a timely compilation of quotes from Aristotle to Gandhi, interwoven with commentary by the author and a Catholic lay brother. It invites you to contemplate your beliefs, challenge what you’ve been ...

Education and the Good Life is an essay written by the philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell. In this essay, Russell argues that education should be about more than just imparting knowledge and skills; it should also be about cultivating virtues and values that lead to a good life.

Montaigne might well be one of the most sympathetic writers ever known. He is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre; his style merges casual anecdotes and autobiography with deep intellectual insights. His "Essays" are among the most influential ever written; one can recognize Montaigne's direct influence on great literary figures all over the world, from René Descartes to Nietzsche, Isaac Asimov, and possibly William Shakespeare.

Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato is indeed considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle. But his writings are often light, fresh and funny; it was Plato who invented the dialogue in philosophy, which makes a point very easy to follow and the occasion of various scenic arrangements.

Carl Jung was the founder of analytical psychology who revolutionized the way we approached the human psyche. Drawing on Eastern mysticism, mythology and dream analysis to develop his theories, Jung proposed many ideas which are still influential today, including introversion, extroversion and the collective unconscious.

Born in Paris, Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was largely raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents after his father died when he was two. He attended the renowned École Normale Supérieure, where he studied psychology, philosophy, ethics, sociology, and physics. In 1929, he met Simone de Beauvoir, who went on to become a celebrated feminist writer and philosopher, with whom he had a lifelong intellectual and romantic relationship.