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.

The Defence of Poesy

by Philip Sidney

Publication year 1595

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Elizabethan Era, Creative Nonfiction, British Literature, Literary Criticism, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Sir Philip Sidney’s The Defence of Poesy, also called An Apology for Poetry, is one of the earliest works of English literary criticism. Presented in the format of a speech, as if it were a rhetorical exercise, this treatise responds to contemporary and ancient criticisms of poetry. Relying heavily on examples from ancient history and literature, Sidney argues in this work that poetry surpasses the other literary genres in its ability to stir its audience... Read The Defence of Poesy Summary

The Demon-Haunted World

by Carl Sagan

Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Education, Nation, Space, Appearance & Reality

Tags Science & Nature, Education, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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The Denial of Death

by Ernest Becker

Publication year 1973

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Religion & Spirituality, Fear, Art

Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement

The Denial of Death was written by the American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker and published in 1973. The work explores the fear of death and the ways in which rituals and beliefs have helped humans to cope with it throughout history. It was inspired by the fact that Becker had been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Over the course of his life, he taught at several prestigious universities, including Syracuse University, UC Berkeley, and, by... Read The Denial of Death Summary

The Discarded Image

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1964

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Space, Colonialism, Art, Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Tags World History, Medieval, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Written by C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), The Discarded Image is a 1964 nonfiction book that explores the literary landscape of Europe during the Medieval Era. Lewis, who is best known for his children’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia, was also a literature professor at Oxford and Cambridge, as well as one of the most widely celebrated Christian apologists of his time. Published shortly after his death, The Discarded Image explores how medieval writers and... Read The Discarded Image Summary

The Dispossessed

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Publication year 1974

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nation

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

The Dispossessed tells the story of its protagonist Shevek’s journey from his home on a desolate, isolated moon to the abundant planet around which his society revolves. Shevek is an Odinian physicist from the planet of Urras, a socialist planet without a central government that follows the teachings of the revolutionary Odo. Upon settling Urras, Odinians refused contact with their former home, the planet Anarres: the only exchange between the planets occurs as mined goods... Read The Dispossessed Summary

The Division of Labor in Society

by Émile Durkheim

Publication year 1893

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Community, Justice

Tags Sociology, Philosophy, Business & Economics, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

The Division of Labor in Society by Émile Durkheim is a doctoral dissertation first published in 1893. It is most notable for using the scientific method to explain social phenomena, and it is widely considered one of the foundational works in modern sociology. Durkheim, along with other theorists such as Max Weber and Karl Marx, is considered a founder of the field. In The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim explores how modern societies remain... Read The Division of Labor in Society Summary

The Double

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Publication year 1846

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Social Class, Community, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Psychology, World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read The Double Summary

The Drowned and the Saved

by Primo Levi

Publication year 1986

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Italian Literature, Holocaust, World War II, Military & War, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

First published in Italy in 1986 as I sommersi e i salvati, The Drowned and the Saved, is a collection of eight essays by Primo Levi about his experiences in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. The book was translated into English in 1988 by Raymond Rosenthal. Some critics categorize The Drowned and the Saved as a memoir, while others believe it to be an autobiography; still other critics name this book a treatise in which... Read The Drowned and the Saved Summary

The Eclogues

by Virgil

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Literature, Death

Tags Lyric Poem, Ancient Greece, Italian Literature, Classical Period, World History, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

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The Elegance of the Hedgehog

by Muriel Barbery

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Beauty, Literature, Coming of Age, Midlife, Education, Loneliness, Death, Language, Community, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Class, Arts & Culture, Depression & Suicide, Relationships, French Literature

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery was published in 2006 and translated by Alison Anderson into English for publication in 2008. The novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and was a major bestseller in France. The novel was adapted into a film called The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) in 2009 to critical acclaim. The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the narrative point of view of two erudite narrators: Renée, a concierge... Read The Elegance of the Hedgehog Summary

The Empathy Exams

by Leslie Jamison

Publication year 2014

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Mental Health

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography, Psychology, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse

The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison is a collection of nonfiction essays that are connected thematically by pain and caring. Jamison uses a combination of personal experiences and journalistic approaches to ponder essential questions about both physical and emotional wounds, tenderness, and how people connect through pain. First published in April 2014, this collection premiered at #11 on the New York Times bestseller list and has received considerable acclaim from reviewers across the world... Read The Empathy Exams Summary

The End of History and the Last Man

by Francis Fukuyama

Publication year 1992

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Equality, Politics & Government

Tags Politics & Government, Philosophy, Business & Economics, World History, European History, Sociology, Philosophy

The End of History and the Last Man by political scientist Francis Fukuyama is a widely read and controversial book on political philosophy published in 1992. In it, Fukuyama argues that the end of the Cold War in 1991 established Western liberal democracy as the final and most successful form of government, thus marking the conclusion of “mankind’s ideological evolution.” Since its original release, the book has been updated in 2006 and 2019 with reassertions... Read The End of History and the Last Man Summary