Philosophy Social Science

The dead talk - to the right listener. They can tell us all about themselves: where they came from, how they lived, how they died, and, of course, who killed them. Forensic scientists can unlock the mysteries of the past and help serve justice using the messages left by a corpse, a crime scene, or the faintest of human traces.

In The Timaeus, Plato offers one of the most influential philosophical visions of the ancient world—a sweeping dialogue that lays out the structure of the cosmos, the nature of the soul, and the divine intelligence behind creation.

Whether you’re discovering Stoicism for the first time or revisiting its timeless teachings, this audiobook offers the perfect guide to clarity, self-mastery, and a deeper appreciation for life.

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.

Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day and then ages out. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable.

The roots of psychological conflict. 1 April 1980. Duration: 82 minutes. Has humanity taken a wrong turn? What is the root of this tremendous inward conflict of humanity? When I am trying to become something, it is a constant battle. Can the brain itself see that it is caught in time and as long as it is moving in that direction conflict is eternal, endless? Can the mind realise, resolve a psychological problem immediately?

This book is not easy: It contains no quick-fix plan for a better, brighter tomorrow, and gives no ready-made answers. Instead, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira presents us with a challenge: to grow up, step up, and show up for ourselves, our communities, and the living Earth, and to interrupt the modern behavior patterns that are killing the planet we’re part of.

What is fascism? By focusing on the concrete, what the fascists did rather than what they said, the esteemed historian Robert O. Paxton answers this question for the first time. From the first violent uniformed bands beating up "enemies of the state", through Mussolini's rise to power, to Germany's fascist radicalization in World War II, Paxton shows clearly why fascists came to power in some countries and not others.

Philosophy has often seemed like the castor oil of the disciplines: healthy, but never pleasurable, and best when swallowed quickly and forgotten. Will Durant’s classic The Story of Philosophy is a welcome remedy for this misconception, and—in view of the fact that it is nearly 100 years old—a remarkably refreshing one. This deluxe edition includes The Age of Faith, the fourth volume in the great series, The Story of Civilization. It covers the years 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300.

In this unabridged audiobook of Walking in Wonder, John O’Donohue’s friend and frequent collaborator John Quinn collects a series of talks and essays from the poet-philosopher on humanity’s relationship with the land, the ache of absence, our place in an often mysterious universe, and the great adventure of death itself.

In 1852, Frederick Douglass, former slave and, by then, a leading figure in the abolitionist movement was asked by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Association to address the group for their July 4th celebration at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. The speech caused an immediate sensation and swiftly became a seminal rallying cry of the abolitionist movement in America. The audience in Rochester included none other than President Millard Fillmore.

Perfect for any listener who is searching for a deceptively simple yet powerful approach to life, this book offers you a source of inner strength and guidance, allowing you to enrich your life and face your challenges with a renewed level of insight.

Have you ever questioned reality? Not in the abstract, philosophical way, but in the eerie, spine-tingling moments when the world just doesn’t seem quite right? Like when a stranger says exactly what you were thinking. When the same numbers keep following you. When time seems to skip. Or when you look in the mirror and wonder: am I real—or just playing a role I didn’t choose?

One thousand years ago in the valley of Kashmir, a great Tantric master named Ksemaraja wrote his masterpiece: the Pratyabhijna-hrdaya, which means "The Essence of the Recognition Philosophy" - recognition, that is, of oneself as a direct expression of the universal divine Consciousness. Recognition also that this Consciousness is, in truth, all that exists, and that its five fundamental powers of awareness, enjoyment, willing, knowing, and acting are the sacred endowments of every sentient being.

Shaolin is more than just the physical expression of martial arts. Rooted in Zen and Tao philosophy, it also offers a way of reconnecting our minds with our bodies through meditative movement to cultivate the core virtues of discipline and perseverance. In this book, Shi Heng Yi, founder of Shaolin Temple Europe and lay disciple of the Songshan Shaolin Temple, introduces us to the contemplative practice that underpins Shaolin – a way of life that has existed for over 1,500 years – and shows how it can help us today.

This wise, stirring book argues that the search for meaning can immeasurably deepen our lives and is far more fulfilling than the pursuit of personal happiness. There is a myth in our culture that the search for meaning is some esoteric pursuit - that you have to travel to a distant monastery or page through dusty volumes to figure out life's great secret. The truth is, there are untapped sources of meaning all around us - right here, right now.

What makes a man willing to die for his beliefs? What drives a thinker to challenge the gods, the laws, and even society itself? Four Texts on Socrates invites you into the world of one of history’s most influential and controversial figures. This collection, combining three dialogues by Plato—Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito—and Aristophanes’ play The Clouds, reveals Socrates as a seeker of truth, a defender of reason, and a public figure whose ideas both inspired and unsettled Athens.

Conocer lo que puedes controlar y lo que no, intentar llevar una vida plena, definir la persona que queremos ser... Cualquiera que se acerque a los textos recogidos en esta obra descubrirá que la contemplación del mundo implica un conocimiento activo -los ejemplos de Epicteto están extraídos de la vida cotidiana- y que contemplar es, en un sentido literal, ver. El ejercicio contemplativo lleva al conocimiento y éste a la serenidad de espíritu y, en última instancia, a la felicidad.

Según los japoneses, todos tenemos un motivo para existir, es decir, un ikigai. Algunas personas lo encuentran con más facilidad, y otras aún siguen en su búsqueda. Hay también quienes viven su ikigai pero sin saberlo, y por lo tanto, sin la oportunidad de desarrollarlo en todo su esplendor.

Living each day fully and serenely is the ideal we aspire to, without really believing in it. Reaching our goals can seem impossible, and even pursuing them feels challenging. The personal development advice and methods we have tried repeatedly haven’t proven convincing, to the point where leading a harmonious, meaningful, and fulfilled life may feel like an unreachable utopia.