Modern Philosophy

Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn't practice yoga? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only White people can be racist? Are you confused by these ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed to challenge the logic of Western society? In this probing volume, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay document the evolution of the dogma that informs these ideas, from its coarse origins in French postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields.

The work now submitted to public judgment is the fruit of a somewhat intimate acquaintance with Eastern adepts and study of their science. It is offered to such as are willing to accept truth wherever it may be found, and to defend it, even looking popular prejudice straight in the face. It is an attempt to aid the student to detect the vital principles which underlie the philosophical systems of old.

The period from 1933 to 1943 was one of the darkest and most chaotic in human history, as the Second World War unfolded with unthinkable cruelty. It was also a crucial decade in the dramatic, intersecting lives of some of history’s greatest philosophers. There were four women, in particular, whose parallel ideas would come to dominate the twentieth century—at once in necessary dialogue and in striking contrast with one another.

What happens when the timeless philosophy of Plato encounters the cutting-edge advancements of artificial intelligence? In AI Debates Plato, the latest book in Richard Aragon’s innovative AI Debates series, you’ll witness a groundbreaking experiment that merges ancient wisdom with the future of technology. Imagine a fictional AI engaging in dynamic debates with a simulated version of Plato himself, diving deep into his most influential ideas—from justice and the ideal state to the nature of reality and the pursuit of knowledge. Using real AI models, this book presents a captivating ...

One of Nietzsche’s earliest works, The Birth of Tragedy (1872) is a remarkable source of inspiration. It is here that the philosopher expresses his frustration with the contemporary world and urges man to embrace Dionysian energy once more. He refutes European culture since the time of Socrates, arguing that it is one-sidedly Apollonian and prevents man from living in optimistic harmony with the sufferings of life.

This thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection brings together essays by 15 leading philosophers reflecting on what it means to live according to a philosophy of life. From Eastern philosophies (Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism) and classical Western philosophies (such as Aristotelianism and Stoicism), to the four major religions, as well as contemporary philosophies (such as existentialism and effective altruism), each contributor offers a lively, personal account of how they find meaning in the practice of their chosen philosophical tradition.

E. M. Cioran confronts the place of today's world in the context of human history—focusing on such major issues of the twentieth century as human progress, fanaticism, and science—in this nihilistic and witty collection of aphoristic essays concerning the nature of civilization in mid-twentieth-century Europe.

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.

Zen is a way of life rather than an ideology; a way of life that transcends dualistic everyday thinking to reach satori (enlightenment), a state of mind in which the oneness of all things is experienced. This is our original state of mind that becomes overlaid by the strategic egoic thinking that perceives the world in adversarial terms, of "us and them", a world of separate entities that compete for survival. Zen goes beyond the sense of self as a separate entity in the world to reach a non-dualistic perspective. One is no longer a drop in the ocean, but the whole ocean in a drop. This ...

This is an extraordinary chronicle of the fifteen years, 1815–1830, that laid the foundations of modern society. It is a history of people, ideas, politics, manners, morals, economics, art, science and technology, diplomacy, business and commerce, literature, and revolution.

Julius Evola’s final major work, which examines the prototype of the human being who can give absolute meaning to his or her life in a world of dissolution.

Often considered the foundation of political liberalism, John Locke's Two Treatises of Government was first published anonymously in 1689, in the wake of England's Glorious Revolution. In The First Treatise of Government, Locke refutes the idea of divine monarchy, while The Second Treatise of Government articulates Locke's philosophy of government, which he based upon his theories of natural rights and the social contract.

This 50th anniversary edition of Men, Machines, and Modern Times, though ultimately concerned with a positive alternative to an Orwellian 1984, offers an entertaining series of historical accounts taken from the 19th century to highlight a main theme: the nature of technological change, the fission brought about in society by such change, and society's reaction to that change.

Paris, near the turn of 1933. Three young friends meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and their friend Raymond Aron, who opens their eyes to a radical new way of thinking. Pointing to his drink, he says, 'You can make philosophy out of this cocktail!'

The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Logical Philosophical Treatise or Treatise on Logic and Philosophy) is the only full-length philosophical book by the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein that was published during his lifetime. The goal of the work is to identify the relationship between language and reality and to define the limits of science. He famously summarized the book in the following way: "What can be said at all can be said clearly; and what we cannot talk about we must pass over in silence."

TAOLISM: The Architecture of Life A Clear, Timeless Code for Personal and Planetary Well-Being In an age of rising chaos, disconnection, and climate crisis, TAOLISM offers something rare: clarity. This is not a religion. It is not dogma. It’s a grounded framework for ethical, sustainable living—rooted in science, reason, and real-world consequence. The word TAOLISM comes from the acronym TAOL—The Architecture of Life—a term that reflects the foundational structure of existence itself. TAOLISM is a call to align our behavior with the reality we inhabit. At its heart are seven ...

Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet, as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing them—and still living them—today. From Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein to Batman, many stories written in the past few centuries are commonly, perhaps glibly, called "modern myths." But Ball argues that we should take that idea seriously. Our stories of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes are doing the kind of cultural work that the ancient myths once did.

Rarely has an ancient text influenced the world as immensely as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (161 - 180 AD). In this series of personal writings and reflections, he collects his thoughts on Stoic philosophy, exploring themes of virtue, the nature of the universe and the meaning of life. This book has stood the test of time as a cornerstone of philosophical literature and a guide to living a balanced and meaningful life.

This is the third volume in the All and Everything series, consisting of four books. These audiobooks are written according to entirely new principles of logical reasoning and strictly directed toward the solution of the following three cardinal problems. The third volume deals with the assistance of the arising, in the mentation, and in the feelings of the listener, of a veritable, non-fantastic representation not of that illusory world which they now perceive, but of the world existing in reality.

The purpose of this book is to delve into critical issues about how the human mind has come to the modern position of doubt and despair. The culprits in this matter include the irrationality of both rationalism and skepticism, and, in particular, the child of skepticism known as pragmatism. Our age is an age of irrationalism specifically because these philosophical concepts lead to doubt, confusion, and denial of reality.