BookOdyssey

Epistemology is the philosophical study of knowledge. Without knowledge, scientific enquiry is meaningless and we can’t begin to analyse the world around us. What is knowledge? How do you know you are not dreaming? Should we trust our senses? Presuming no prior experience of philosophy, this book covers everything in the topic from scepticism and possible worlds to Kant’s transcendentalism. Clear and readable, Epistemology: A Beginner’s Guide is essential reading for students and aspiring thinkers. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

How we eat, farm and shop for food is not only a matter of taste. Our choices regarding what we eat involve every essential aspect of our human nature: the animal, the sensuous, the social, the cultural, the creative, the emotional and the intellectual. Thinking seriously about food requires us to consider our relationship to nature, to our fellow animals, to each other and to ourselves. So can thinking about food teach us about being virtuous, and can what we eat help us to decide how to live? From the author of The Ego Trick and The Pig that Wants to be Eaten comes a thought-provoking exploration of our values and vices. What can fasting teach us about autonomy? Should we, like Kant, \'dare to know\' cheese? Should we take media advice on salt with a pinch of salt? And can food be more virtuous, more inherently good, than art? Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0101, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

We are seeing the rise of a populist moment around the world on both the left and the right. Movements like Bernie Sander, Jeremy Corbyn, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have emerged in the midst of the neoliberal crisis. In this book, leading political thinker Chantal Mouffe proposes a left-populist strategy that could bring together the manifold struggles against subordination, oppression and discrimination. In redrawing political frontiers, this \"populist moment\" points to a \"return of the political\" after years of postpolitics. This return may open the way for authoritarian solutions-through regimes that weaken liberal-democratic institutions-but it could also lead to a reaffirmation and extension of democratic values. Σελίδες: 112, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1001, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

In this clear and evocative account, John Gaskin unfolds the thinking about nature, life, death and other worlds that informed the culture and society of the Classical world, drawing out its interest for modern readers. Witty sketches and diagrams enliven the story, which runs from Homeric Greece to the banning of pagan religions in ad 391. The book concludes with a gazetteer describing notable sites and the people and ideas connected with them, making it an ideal companion for visitors to Classical ruins and for all armchair travellers curious to explore life’s big questions. Σελίδες: 192, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0301, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Michael Foley, the author of bestselling The Age of Absurdity, wants to understand why he doesn\'t appear to be experiencing as much \'fun\' as everyone else . . .   And so, with characteristic wit and humour, Foley sets out to understand what fun really means, examining its heritage, its cultural significance and the various activities we associate with fun. He investigates pursuits such as dancing, sex, holidays, sport, gaming and comedy, and concludes that fun is not easy, simple and fixed, as many seem to believe, but elusive, complex and constantly changing. In fact, fun is a profoundly serious business. His findings will invigorate you with insights, quite possibly help you to understand why the post-post-modern is actually the pre-pre-modern and, at the very least, make you laugh at life.‘This book is such a wondrous kaleidoscope of rage, based on such a deep reading of all the sources, that I shall be searching out his other works to read forthwith. The man is a marvel.’ Daily Mail Σελίδες: 400, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0630, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

\'Full of human wisdom, this is a psychologically acute and absorbing approach to a very important subject\' PHILIP PULLMANIn this inspiring work, Richard Holloway tackles the great theme of forgiveness. One of the most important books on this essential topic, On Forgiveness draws on the great philosophers and writers such as Frederick Nietzsche, Jacques Derrida and Nelson Mandela. Both timely and a timeless modern classic, On Forgiveness is a pertinent and fascinating discourse on how forgiveness works, where it came from and how the need to embrace it is greater than ever if we are to free ourselves from the binds of the past. Σελίδες: 112, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

A compelling portrait of one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, by one of the bestselling writers of the twentieth. In this vivid biographical study, Zweig eschews traditional academic discussion and focuses on Nietzsche\'s habits, passions and obsessions. Concentrating on the man rather than the work, on his tragic isolation and volatile creativity, Zweig draws the reader inexorably into the drama of Nietzsche\'s life. Σελίδες: 128, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

In this witty and mischievous book, philosopher Peter Cave dissects the most controversial disputes today and uses philosophical argument to reveal that many issues are less straightforward than we\'d like to believe. Leaving no sacred cow standing, Cave uses ingenious stories and examples to challenge our most strongly held assumptions. Is democracy inherently a good thing? What is the basis of so-called human rights? Is discrimination always bad? Are we morally obliged to accept refugees?In an age of identity politics and so-called \'fake news\', this book is an essential resource for reinvigorating genuine public debate - and an entertaining challenge to accepted wisdom. Σελίδες: 368, Διαστάσεις: 12.7x12.7cm

Philosophy, the “love of wisdom”, is the product of our endless fascination and curiosity about the world – the child of wonder. Through it, we seek to answer the most fundamental of questions: How do we know what we know? Does God exist? What is beauty? How should we live our lives? What am I? In this exhilarating tour, Peter Cave navigates all the main topics of philosophy with verve and clarity. Using witty and whimsical examples, including stoical sofas and Reg, the “regular” human, who just happens to carry his brain in a rucksack, Cave provides a welcome antidote to the dry textbook while covering everything from political philosophy to points of logic. Interspersed with helpful textboxes and underlining the enduring relevance of philosophy to us all, there is no better introduction for the aspiring sage. Σελίδες: 240, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0901, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

In The Godless Gospel, Julian Baggini challenges our assumptions about Jesus - and the Christian values he promotes - by focusing solely on his teachings in the Gospel. Stripping away the religious elements, Baggini finds that Jesus\'s words amount to a purposeful and powerful philosophy, one that still remains applicable to the world we live in today. Σελίδες: 304, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

We often think identity is personal. But the identities that shape the world, our struggles, and our hopes, are social ones, shared with countless others. Our sense of self is shaped by our family, but also by affiliations that spread out from there, like our nationality, culture, class, race and religion. Taking these broad categories as a starting point, Professor Appiah challenges our assumptions about how identity works. In eloquent and lively chapters, he weaves personal anecdote with historical, cultural and literary example to explore the entanglements within the stories we tell ourselves. We all know there are conflicts among identities; but Professor Appiah explores how identities are created by conflict. Identities are then crafted from confusions - confusions this book aims to help us sort through. Religion, Appiah shows us, isn\'t primarily about beliefs. The idea of national self-determination is incoherent. Our everyday racial thinking is an artefact of discarded science. Class is not a matter of upper and lower. And the very idea of Western culture is a misleading myth. We will see our situation more clearly if we start to question these mistaken identities. This is radical new thinking from a master in the subject and will change forever the way we think about ourselves and our communities. Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1107, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

A new century, new threats to love . . . Love without risks is like war without deaths - but, today, love is threatened by an alliance of liberalism and hedonism. Caught between consumerism and casual sexual encounters devoid of passion, love - without the key ingredient of chance - is in danger of withering on the vine. In In Praise of Love, Alain Badiou takes on contemporary \'dating agency\' conceptions of love that come complete with zero-risk insurance - like US zero-casualty bombs. He develops a new take on love that sees it as an adventure, and an opportunity for re-invention, in a constant exploration of otherness and difference that leads the individual out of an obsession with identity and self. Liberal, libertine and libertarian reductions of love to instant pleasure and non-commitment bite the dust as Badiou invokes a supporting cast of thinkers from Plato to Lacan via Karl Marx to form a new narrative of romance, relationships and sex - a narrative that does not fear love. Σελίδες: 112, Διαστάσεις: 11x11cm

Though Wittgenstein wrote on the same subjects that dominate the work of other analytic philosophers - the nature of logic, the limits of language, the analysis of meaning - he did so in a peculiarly poetic style that separates his work sharply from that of his peers and makes the question of how to read him particularly pertinent. At the root of Wittgenstein\'s thought, Ray Monk argues, is a determination to resist the scientism characteristic of our age, a determination to insist on the integrity and the autonomy of non-scientific forms of understanding. The kind of understanding we seek in philosophy, Wittgenstein tried to make clear, is similar to the kind we might seek of a person, a piece of music, or, indeed, a poem. Extracts are taken from Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and from a range of writings, including Philosophical Investigations, The Blue and Brown Books and Last Writings on the Philosophy of Psychology. Σελίδες: 128, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

From the author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read and The Book You Want Everyone You Love* To Read.There is no simple set of instructions that can guarantee sanity. But if you want to overcome emotional difficulties and become happier, psychotherapist Philippa Perry argues that there are four cornerstones to sanity you can influence to bring about change.By developing your self-observation skills, examining how you relate to others, breaking out of your comfort zone and exploring new ways of defining yourself, Philippa demonstrates that it is possible to become a little less tortured and a little more fulfilled.How to Stay Sane is at once a brilliant explanation of our minds and a profoundly useful guide to facing up to the many challenges life throws our way.The School of Life looks at new ways of thinking about life’s biggest questions. Discover more fascinating books from the series with How to Be Alone and How to Think More About Sex. Σελίδες: 144, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0627, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

\'Brilliantly unillusioned thinking... It could hardly be more necessary in these all-too-moralistic times\' - James Marriott, THE TIMESMorals have held empires together, kept soldiers marching under fire, fed the hungry, passed laws, built walls, welcomed immigrants, destroyed careers and governed our sex lives. But what if morality\'s all meaningless rubbish, a malfunctioning relic of our evolutionary past? This is the provocative argument that Chris Paley makes. This isn\'t an attack on one set of moral codes or one way of thinking about ethics: it\'s a call for abolishing the whole caboodle.He uses evolutionary psychology to show how and why morality emerged: theyenabled our forebears to survive and prosper in tribal groups. Today, our morals constrain us, bias us, and push us in the wrong direction. The biggest challenges our species faces, whether global warming, nuclear proliferation or the rise of the robots, are pan-human. These challenges are beyond what our moral minds were designed to cope with. You can\'t build smartphones with stone-age axes, and you can\'t solve modern humanity\'s problems with tools that are designed to create primitive, competitive groups.From Chris Paley, author of the \'extraordinary\', \'startling\' and \'thought-provoking\' Unthink, comes Beyond Bad, which shows morals hinder us from achieving what we want to achieve. Beyond Bad is the book that \'does for morals what Dawkins did for God\'. Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0628, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERBLACKWELL\'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021Essential lessons on the world we live in, from one of our greatest young thinkers – a guide to what everybody is talking about today‘Unparalleled and extraordinary . . . A bracing revivification of a crucial lineage in feminist writing’ JIA TOLENTINO‘I believe Amia Srinivasan’s work will change the world’ KATHERINE RUNDELL‘Rigorously researched, but written with such spark and verve. The best non-fiction book I have read this year’ PANDORA SYKES-------------------------How should we talk about sex? It is a thing we have and also a thing we do; a supposedly private act laden with public meaning; a personal preference shaped by outside forces; a place where pleasure and ethics can pull wildly apart. To grasp sex in all its complexity – its deep ambivalences, its relationship to gender, class, race and power – we need to move beyond ‘yes and no’, wanted and unwanted. We need to rethink sex as a political phenomenon. Searching, trenchant and extraordinarily original, The Right to Sex is a landmark examination of the politics and ethics of sex in this world, animated by the hope of a different one.SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2022LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE 2022LONGLISTED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE 2022 Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0830, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

‘The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance’ – John Rawls, A Theory of Justice What is justice? How can we know it? How can we make our society more just? The most significant political philosopher since John Stuart Mill, John Rawls (1921 – 2002) grappled with such dilemmas. His work has been the source not only of academic argument, but also of political debate and legislative reform, arguing that we have a moral duty to organise society so as to rectify undeserved inequality. In the first introduction to Rawls’s work which encompasses his entire career, Dr Paul Graham combines lucid exposition with thought-provoking criticism. Locating Rawls in the rich history of political thought, Graham explores a theory that remains fiercely relevant as the developed world sees unprecedented levels of inequality. For anyone concerned with how society works, this is a vital introduction to one of the great modern philosophers and to a subject that is crucial to how we live. Σελίδες: 208, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Written between 1944 and 1947, Minima Moralia is a collection of rich, lucid aphorisms and essays about life in modern capitalist society. Adorno casts his penetrating eye across society in mid-century America and finds a life deformed by capitalism. This is Adorno\'s theoretical and literary masterpiece and a classic of twentieth-century thought. Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0602, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

The concept of law lies at the heart of our social and political life. Legal philosophy, or jurisprudence, explores the notion of law and its role in society, illuminating its meaning and its relation to the universal questions of justice, rights, and morality. In this Very Short Introduction Raymond Wacks analyses the nature and purpose of the legal system, and the practice by courts, lawyers, and judges. Wacks reveals the intriguing and challenging nature of legal philosophy with clarity and enthusiasm, providing an enlightening guide to the central questions of legal theory. In this revised edition Wacks makes a number of updates including new material on legal realism, changes to the approach to the analysis of law and legal theory, and updates to historical and anthropological jurisprudence. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. Σελίδες: 176, Διαστάσεις: 11.5x11.5cm

This book introduces readers to the concepts of political philosophy. It starts by explaining why the subject is important and how it tackles basic ethical questions such as \'how should we live together in society?\' It looks at political authority, the reasons why we need politics at all, the limitations of politics, and whether there are areas of life that shouldn\'t be governed by politics. It explores the connections between political authority and justice, a constant theme in political philosophy, and the ways in which social justice can be used to regulate rather than destroy a market economy. David Miller discusses why nations are the natural units of government and whether the rise of multiculturalism and transnational co-operation will change this: will we ever see the formation of a world government? ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. Σελίδες: 160, Διαστάσεις: 11.3x11.3cm

A clear, simple, graphic-led introduction to philosophy.Are you short of time but hungry for knowledge? This philosophy book proves that sometimes less is more. Bold graphics and easy-to-understand explanations make it the most accessible guide to philosophy on the market.Understanding Philosophy Has Never Been EasierThis illuminating reference book introduces you to the world\'s greatest thinkers, such as Aristotle, Kant, Socrates, and more! It\'s the perfect gift for anyone interested in philosophy and life-long learners. This book about philosophy offers you: - Simple, easy-to-understand graphics that help to convey information in a visual way- Clear, authoritative text that explains 90 key philosophical ideas- Covers all of the different branches of philosophyThis smart but powerful guide cuts through the jargon and gives you the facts in a clear, visual way. Unlock the mysteries of more than 90 key philosophical ideas, from \"I think, therefore I am\" and Jean-Paul Sartre\'s existential angst to Nietzsche\'s Übermensch and Plato\'s ideal forms.Organised by major philosophical themes, each pared-back, single-page entry demystifies the groundbreaking theories of famous philosophers. The essential ideas of the major philosophical schools and traditions, such as empiricism, rationalism, dualism, and materialism, can be grasped in seconds.Whether you\'re a philosophy student or just a deep thinker with questions about the world, this indispensable guide is packed with everything you need to quickly and easily understand the basics.Complete the Series:Part of DK Book\'s exciting, brand-new reference series for those who are time-poor, but keen to learn more. Discover the strange and fascinating world of physics in Simply Quantum Physics. Σελίδες: 160, Διαστάσεις: 15.5x15.5cm

How ought we to live? What really exists? How do we know? This Very Short Introduction discusses some of the key questions philosophy engages with. Edward Craig explores important themes in ethics, and the nature of knowledge and the self, through readings from Plato, Hume, Descartes, Hegel, Darwin, and Buddhist writers. Throughout, he emphasizes why we do phiilosophy, explains how different areas of philosophy are related, and explores the contexts in which philosophy was and is done. This new edition includes a new chapter on free will, discussing determinism and indeterminism in the context of Descartes and Hegel\'s work. Craig also covers the Problem of Evil, and Kant\'s argument on the source of moral obligation. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. Σελίδες: 160, Διαστάσεις: 11.8x11.8cm

David Hume, philosopher, historian, economist, librarian, and essayist, was one of the great figures of the European Enlightenment. Unlike some of his famous contemporaries, however, he was not dogmatically committed to idealised conceptions of reason, liberty, and progress. Instead, Hume was a sceptic whose arguments questioned the reach and authority of human rationality, and who put the rivalrous passions of commercial life at the centre of his theory of human nature. He believed that the modern world was in many ways superior to the ancient world, but was acutely conscious of the threats to peace and progress posed by bigotry, factionalism, and imperialism. Today Hume\'s works continue to speak to us powerfully in an age of instability and uncertainty. This Very Short Introduction presents a balanced account of Hume\'s thought, giving equal attention to his work on human nature, morality, politics, and religion. Weaving together biography, the historical context, and a thoughtful exposition of Hume\'s arguments, James A. Harris offers a compelling picture of a thinker who had no disciples and formed no school, but whom no one in his own time was able to ignore, and who has since become central to modern philosophy\'s understanding of itself. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. Σελίδες: 144, Διαστάσεις: 11.2x11.2cm

In this joyous introduction to the major debates in Western philosophy, we see how cartoons can shed light and humour on life’s Big Questions. Topics such as gender, morality and the meaning of life are examined here with a razor wit and eye. Open this book (if it actually exists) and meet philosophers interrogating the world: De Beauvoir on a building site. Kant in a snowglobe. Machiavelli on a tennis court. This is philosophy as you’ve never seen it before. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0831, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

A refreshing distillation of insights into the human condition, by one of the best-known and most popular philosophers in the UK.Thinking about life, what it means and what it holds in store does not have to be a despondent experience, but rather can be enlightening and uplifting. A life truly worth living is one that is informed and considered so a degree of philosophical insight into the inevitabilities of the human condition is inherently important and such an approach will help us to deal with real personal dilemmas.This book is an accessible, lively and thought-provoking series of linked commentaries, based on A. C. Grayling\'s \'The Last Word\' column in the GUARDIAN. Its aim is not to persuade readers to accept one particular philosophical point of view or theory, but to help us consider the wonderful range of insights which can be drawn from an immeasurably rich history of philosophical thought.Concepts covered include courage, love, betrayal, ambition, cruelty, wisdom, passion, beauty and death. This will be a wonderfully stimulating read and act as an invaluable guide as to what is truly important in living life, whether facing success, failure, justice, wrong, love, loss or any of the other profound experience life throws out. Σελίδες: 224, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1001, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

A Guide for the Perplexed is E. F. Schumacher\'s classic work of philosophy and a statement of the philosophies that underpin his economic masterpiece Small is Beautiful. Schumacher asserts that it is the task of philosophy to provide a map of life and knowledge, which exhibits the most important features of life in their proper prominence. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

\'Perhaps the most entertaining work of philosophy ever written ... the first really systematic and serious attempt to say what love is\' John Armstrong, GuardianIn the course of a lively drinking party, a group of Athenian intellectuals exchange views on eros, or desire. From their conversation emerges a series of subtle reflections on gender roles, sex in society and the sublimation of basic human instincts. The discussion culminates in a radical challenge to conventional views by Plato\'s mentor, Socrates, who advocates transcendence through spiritual love. The Symposium is a deft interweaving of different viewpoints and ideas about the nature of love - as a response to beauty, a cosmic force or a path to goodness.Translated with an Introduction by Christopher Gill Σελίδες: 144, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

\'In Japan we have an expression, \'Float like Cloud, Flow like Water\'. Its meaning is: to live free and unconstrained\'In this short introduction to Zen Buddhism, a practising Japanese monk shares the many lessons he has learned from life inside a temple.With charm and humour, he guides us through everything from meditation to tea-drinking ceremonies, the meaning of koans to preparing Zen food. Accompanied by the author\'s own illustrations, this book invites you to change your perception through the wisdom of monastic life. Σελίδες: 128, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Everything we think we know about populism is wrong. Donald Trump. Brexit. European right-wing extremists. All have been accused of populism. But what does this often thrown about, yet generally misunderstood, term actually mean? The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; the story of democracy itself, of its promise of a decent life for us all. Here, acclaimed political commentator Thomas Frank takes us from the emergence of the radical left-wing US Populist Party in the 1890s, through the triumphs of reformers under Roosevelt and Truman, to the present day, reminding us how much we owe to the populist ethos. He pummels the elites, revisits the movement’s provocative politics, and declares true populism to be the language of promise and optimism. People Without Power is a ringing affirmation of a movement that, Frank shows us, is not the problem of our times, but the solution. Σελίδες: 320, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 15.3x15.3cm

We live in an age of impotence. Stuck between global war and global finance, between identity and capital, we seem to be incapable of producing that radical change that is so desperately needed. Is there still a way to disentangle ourselves from a global order that shapes our politics as well as our imagination?In his most systematic book to date, renowned Italian theorist Franco Berardi Bifo tackles this question through a solid yet visionary analysis of the three fundamental concepts of Possibility, Potency, and Power. Overcoming any temptation of giving in to despair or nostalgia, Berardi proposes the notion of Futurability as a way to remind us that even within the darkness of our current crisis, still lies dormant the horizon of possibility. Σελίδες: 224, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0506, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm

‘You can only find out the rights and wrongs by Reasoning – never by being rude about your opponent’s psychology.’ For C. S. Lewis, reason and logic are the sensible way to approach faith and ethics. Much of the 20th century’s ills are caused by ill-founded beliefs and opinions. Lewis’s original approach remains as vital today as ever. He is able to take the most convoluted subject, turn it side on and shed bright illumination on it. To be able to see along things rather than at them – just like a beam of sunlight that invades the darkness of a toolshed – is, to Lewis, the way to understanding. Written variously between 1940 and 1962, this collection of essays represents the best of Lewis’s considerable wisdom on the great ethical and theological concerns of the day. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

One of the foundation-stones of modern philosophy, René Descartes\' Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings is translated from the Latin with an introduction by Desmond M. Clarke in Penguin Classics.Descartes was prepared to go to any lengths in his search for certainty - even to deny those things that seemed most self-evident. In his Meditations of 1641, and in the Objections and Replies that were included with the original publication, he set out to dismantle and then reconstruct the idea of the individual self and its existence. In doing so, Descartes developed a language of subjectivity that has lasted to this day, and he also took his first steps towards the view that would eventually be expressed in the epigram Cogito, ergo sum (\'I think, therefore I am\'), one of modern philosophy\'s most famous - and most fiercely contested - claims.The first part of a two-volume edition of Descartes\' works in Penguin Classics, the second of which is Discourse on Method & Related Writings, this edition includes extensive selections from the Objections and Replies, Part One of The Principles of Philosophy, Comments on a Certain Manifesto and related correspondence from 1643 to 1649.René Descartes (1596-1650), generally regarded as the founder of modern philosophy, was born in La Haye (now called Descartes) near Tours, and educated at the Jesuit College of La Fleche. Like many of his contemporaries he contested the value of an education based on Aristotelianism and, after leaving college, attempted to resolve the sceptical crisis of his age by devising a method of reasoning modelled on the rigour and certainty of mathematics. If you enjoyed the Meditations, you might like Immanuel Kant\'s Critique of Pure Reason, also available in Penguin Classics. Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

In A Discourse on Inequality Rousseau sets out to demonstrate how the growth of civilization corrupts man’s natural happiness and freedom by creating artificial inequalities of wealth, power and social privilege. Contending that primitive man was equal to his fellows, Rousseau believed that as societies become more sophisticated, the strongest and most intelligent members of the community gain an unnatural advantage over their weaker brethren, and that constitutions set up to rectify these imbalances through peace and justice in fact do nothing but perpetuate them. Rousseau’s political and social arguments in the Discourse were a hugely influential denunciation of the social conditions of his time and one of the most revolutionary documents of the eighteenth-century. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

A major writer and a leading figure in the public life of Rome, Seneca (c. 4BC-AD 65) ranks among the most eloquent and influential masters of Latin prose. This selection explores his thoughts on philosophy and the trials of life. In the Consolation to Helvia he strives to offer solace to his mother, following his exile in AD 41, while On the Shortness of Life and On Tranquillity of Mind are lucid and compelling explorations of Stoic thought. Witty and self-critical, the Letters - written to his young friend Lucilius - explore Seneca\'s struggle to acquire philosophical wisdom. A fascinating insight into one of the greatest minds of Ancient Rome, these works inspired writers and thinkers including Montaigne, Rousseau, and Bacon, and continue to intrigue and enlighten. Σελίδες: 160, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

Voltaire\'s Treatise on Toleration is one of the most important essays on religious tolerance and freedom of thought A powerful, impassioned case for the values of freedom of conscience and religious tolerance, Treatise on Toleration was written after the Toulouse merchant Jean Calas was falsely accused of murdering his son and executed on the wheel in 1762. As it became clear that Calas had been persecuted by \'an irrational mob\' for being a Protestant, the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire began a campaign to vindicate him and his family. The resulting work, a screed against fanaticism and a plea for understanding, is as fresh and urgent today as when it was written. Σελίδες: 208, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm