Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics

What is the good life? What is justice? Do we have free will? Does it matter? From ancient classics like Plato's Allegory of the Cave to modern standards like John Rawls's A Theory of Justice, the texts in this collection explore ideas and questions at the root of the human condition.

Keeper'n Me

by Richard Wagamese

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Environment, Colonialism

Tags Coming of Age, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy

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Killing Rage

by bell hooks

Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Gender & Feminism, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

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Leaders Eat Last

by Simon Sinek

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Economics, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Psychology, Inspirational, Business & Economics, Self-Improvement, Postmodernism, Leadership, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t (2014) is inspirational speaker Simon Sinek’s second book, a follow-up to Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (2009). The book’s title is derived from a practice in which Marine Corps Officers eat last, sacrificing their own needs for those in their care. Sacrifice is key. Sinek explores the ways in which successful individuals and companies develop cultures built on... Read Leaders Eat Last Summary

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

by Wess Roberts

Publication year 1987

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Perseverance, Teamwork, Nation, War, Politics & Government

Tags Business & Economics, World History, Leadership, Creative Nonfiction, Self-Improvement, Military & War, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun is a self-improvement and business leadership book by Wess Roberts, who was a human resources manager at Fireman’s Fund Insurance when he published the book in 1989. Using the historical figure of Attila the Hun as his mouthpiece, Roberts outlines his management style and approach to business. This guide refers to Attila’s “persona” when quoting words that Roberts imagines Attila might have said. In the introduction, Roberts discusses Attila... Read Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun Summary

Leadership

by Henry Kissinger

Publication year 2022

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nation, Politics & Government, War

Tags Philosophy, Biography, Politics & Government, Leadership, World History, Business & Economics, Philosophy

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Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed

by Philip Paul Hallie

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Race, Death, Community, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags World War II, Military & War, French Literature, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

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Letter From Birmingham Jail

by Martin Luther King Jr.

Publication year 1963

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Race

Tags Sociology, African American Literature, Race & Racism, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

This guide is based on the revised version of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," published as the fifth essay in Why We Can't Wait (1964).King's letter is a response to another open letter, "A Call for Unity," published in The Birmingham News and collectively authored by eight Alabama clergymen who argued that the protests were not an appropriate response to conditions in Birmingham.King opens the letter by explaining that he is responding... Read Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

Letters From An American Farmer

by J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur

Publication year 1782

Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction

Tags Philosophy, Action & Adventure

First published in 1782, J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer is widely regarded as one of the earliest examples of American literature and a highly-influential epistolary text that includes elements of both fiction and nonfiction.The first letter is a modest response to Mr. F.B.’s request that James write to him with information about life in America. In it, James expresses insecurity about his ability to complete such a task, wondering... Read Letters From An American Farmer Summary

Letters from a Stoic

by Seneca

Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fate

Tags Philosophy, Ancient Rome, Philosophy, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Classical Period, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Letters to a Young Poet

by Rainer Maria Rilke

Publication year 1929

Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Literature, Beauty, Language

Tags Inspirational, Arts & Culture, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of 10 letters written by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus, from February 1903 to December 1908. In an introduction to the book, Kappus describes how he came to begin his correspondence with Rilke. At the time, Kappus was a 19-year-old student at an Austrian military school. Though Kappus was set to become a military officer, he held aspirations of instead becoming a... Read Letters to a Young Poet Summary

Leviathan

by Thomas Hobbes

Publication year 1651

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Philosophy

Leviathan is a work of political philosophy published in 1651 by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Written during the English Civil Wars of the 17th century, the book is enormously influential as a pioneering work of social contract theory, which dictates that citizens of a sovereign state consent to give up certain rights to authority figures in exchange for domestic order and protection from foreign invaders. Absent this contract with authority, Hobbes argues, humans will devolve... Read Leviathan Summary

Life 3.0

by Max Tegmark

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Space, Good & Evil

Tags Philosophy, Business & Economics, Futurism, Science & Nature, Technology, Technology, Philosophy

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Life of Pi

by Yann Martel

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Animals

Tags Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Philosophy, Magical Realism, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is a Canadian philosophical novel and Booker Prize winner published in 2001. Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963 to French-Canadian parents but spent his childhood in various countries including Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. Martel’s father was a diplomat who completed his PhD dissertation on Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno at the University of Salamanca. Yann Martel studied philosophy at Trent University in Canada before becoming a... Read Life of Pi Summary

Tintern Abbey

by William Wordsworth

Publication year 1798

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Memory, Beauty, Objects & Materials

Tags Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Romanticism, British Literature, World History, Philosophy

Composed in the middle of July 1798, “Tintern Abbey” was the last poem submitted for the publication of Lyrical Ballads, which was already in the press at Bristol. As the coda to Lyrical Ballads, “Tintern Abbey” represents a pivotal modulation in Wordsworth’s poetic development and ambition, prefiguring much of his distinctive verse to follow. Its sustained meditative subjectivity, masterful control of tone, elevated theme, scale of conceptual development, and orchestrated musicality mark the convergence of... Read Tintern Abbey Summary

Living a Feminist Life

by Sara Ahmed

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Power & Greed, Justice, Gender Identity, Race, Equality

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ+, Philosophy

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