Philosophy

People have long been duped by "straight-talking" politicians, confessional talk-show hosts, and fake-earnest advertisers. As sincerity has become suspect, the upright and honest have taken refuge in irony. Yet our...

Erudite Thomas Jefferson, wily Benjamin Franklin, rough-hewn general Ethan Allen and Thomas Young (who instigated the Boston Tea Party)-the radicals who founded America set their sights on a revolution of...

Fitzroy Morrissey's brilliant guide to Islamic thought - from its foundation in the seventh century to the present day. 'A magisterial accomplishment' Professor Eugene Rogan 'The best guide to Islamic...

'The Precipice is a powerful book . . . Ord's love for humanity and hope for its future is infectious' Spectator'Ord's analysis of the science is exemplary . . ....

With the publication of The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin not only sparked a revolution in science, but also radically changed the way millions of...

Friedrich August von Hayek, a reserved Austrian economist, died in 1992. Though largely unrecognized during his lifetime, he is today regarded as a visionary. In 1944, in the wake of...

An urgent defense of reason, the essential method for resolving-or even discussing-divisive issues Reason, long held as the highest human achievement, is under siege. According to Aristotle, the capacity for...

For readers of E. H. Gombrich's A Little History of the World, an equally irresistible volume that brings history's greatest philosophers to life"A primer in human existence: philosophy has rarely...

The stirring story of one of the modern world's most important intellectual achievements: atheism. Since Friedrich Nietzsche roundly declared that 'God is dead' in 1882, a raft of reflective and...

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), philosopher and reformer, is one of the most influential thinkers of the modern age. This introduction to his writings presents a representative selection of texts authoritatively restored...

Praise for Solitude:"This is a thoughtful and sensitive book from a man who endured the fear and loneliness of captivity. Now, years later, Terry Waite explores solitude in its many...

Society has a deep fear of ageing. Old age is increasingly viewed as a biomedical problem, something to be avoided at all costs and then vanished away by medicine. Anne...

This beautiful collection brings together Sun Tzu's The Art of War and more translated military texts and treatise from famous Chinese generals and writers.The perfect gift for fans of military...

One shall first use benevolence and righteousness, and then authority and deception.A later addition to China's most influential military texts, Questions and Replies builds on the ideas raised in the...

Let others be vassals and you be the king; let them keep their cities and they will levy their own tax. A later addition to China's most influential military texts,...

It is better to ask yourself how competent you are than to ask gods and demons.Wei Liaozi takes a theoretical approach in exploring a governing state's ideal values and the...

A general who is good at commanding a battle shall make sure that his troops act as if they are sitting in a leaky boat or lying under a burning...

For those that follow orders, they should be rewarded well; for those that defy orders, they should be severely punished.Taking a philosophical approach to organisation, administration, discipline and the management...

Words are uttered to adorn the true feelings, and the ability to speak the truth is the best practice. Written from a revolutionary perspective, Six Secret Teachings concerns itself with...

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.Taken from the experiences of Ancient China's most brilliant warriors more than 2000 years ago, Sun Tzu's...

Learn everything you need to know about the world of philosophy- from the key thinkers to modern concepts in a brand new portable size.To the complete novice learning about philosophy...

Neatly organized, Mr. Monk and Philosophy uses philosophy to uncover more about the brilliant obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk. With the guidance of history's greatest thinkers, readers learn who Monk really...

Alain de Botton explores our relationship with 'the news' in this book full of his trademark wit and wisdom.Following on from his bestselling Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton turns...

In Trouble in Paradise, Slavoj Zizek, one of our most famous, most combative philosophers, explains how by drawing on the ideas of communism, we can find a way out of...

Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolo Machiavelli. But while his treatise The Prince made his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation,...

If a dog could write a book of philosophy, what would it contain?If you have spent part of your life with a dog, you may find certain questions popping, unbidden,...

This is the book on war that Napoleon never had the time or the will to complete. In exile on the island of Saint-Helena, the deposed Emperor of the French...

Philosophy Bites is a selection of the best interviews from the hugely successful podcast of the same name. Leading philosophers discuss a wide range of philosophical issues, from ethics to...

By dipping into this little book of simple Zen Buddhist sayings, you can calm your anxiety and return serenity to your soul.Are you feeling stress and anxiety from the demands...

In Aristotle's teleological view of the world, natural things come to be and are present for the sake of some function or end (for example, wings are present in birds...

We spend most of our waking lives at work - in occupations often chosen by our unthinking sixteen-year-old selves. And yet we rarely ask ourselves how we got there or...

In a secular society, does Christmas mean anything anymore? As we stuff ourselves with plumped-up turkeys, unwrap the latest useless gadget, and gather round the family tree, what real relevance...

A key work of proto-feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft's readable and impassioned argument is as relevant today as it was two hundred years ago. Before the concept of equality between the sexes...

Bette Davis said 'Old age ain't no place for sissies'. If that's true, we could all use a little help as we approach our twilight years.Translator Tom Payne turns to...

Foucault's writings on power and control in social institutions have made him one of the modern era's most influential thinkers. Here he argues that punishment has gone from being mere...

Otters are some of the most delightful animals on the planet. These long, lean, furry creatures embody pure joy in so many ways - they live for napping, playing, making...

Key Philosophers in Conversation is a fascinating collection of interviews presenting the ideas of some of the worlds leading contemporary philosophers. Each interview features a discussion with a key philosopher...

Published on the occasion of Sartre's Centenary, this book helps to understand the man behind the work, offering a psycho-social analysis of Jean-Paul Sartre with an emphasis on his masculinity....

Widely acclaimed as the most authoritative and accessible one-volume dictionary available in English (and now with translations into Chinese, Korean, Russian, Italian, and Spanish underway) this second edition offers an...

A collection of journalism from a topical and entertaining author. A cornucopia of a book, Godless in Eden brings together a selection of lectures and essays contributed to newspapers, magazines...

'Have little thought of self and as few desires as possible'Whether or not Lao Tzu was a historical figure is uncertain, but the wisdom gathered under his name in the...

'A serious - and seriously readable - book about the deep issues that our shallow age has foolishly tried to dodge' - Douglas Murray 'A crystal-clear analysis of the multiple...

An introduction to Foucault's thought, which includes some previously unpublished material.

Intolerance and bigotry lie at the heart of all human suffering. So claims Bertrand Russell at the outset of In Praise of Idleness, a collection of essays in which he...

Humans are extraordinary creatures, with the unique ability among animals to imitate and so copy from one another ideas, habits, skills, behaviours, inventions, songs, and stories. These are all memes,...