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.

White Guilt

by Shelby Steele

Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Community

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Arts & Culture, Politics & Government

White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era is a 2006 nonfiction book by Shelby Steele, a Black conservative author who specializes in the study of race relations in the US. This guide refers to the e-book published in 2009 by HarperCollins. The title points to the book’s central theme: white guilt—the loss of moral authority—and the damaging responses it elicited in Black and White Americans in the... Read White Guilt Summary

Who Moved My Cheese?

by Spencer Johnson

Publication year 1998

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt

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

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD, is an inspirational advice book on how people and businesses can respond to changing times and situations by learning how to adapt quickly and successfully. The book centers on a parable about two mice and two people who live in a maze and search for cheese—the things each wants in life—and what happens when the cheese they’ve been enjoying disappears. First published in 1998, the book proved... Read Who Moved My Cheese? Summary

Why Fish Don't Exist

by Lulu Miller

Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Conflict

Tags Science & Nature, Philosophy, Animals, Race & Racism, World History, Philosophy, Biography

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Why I Write

by George Orwell

Publication year 1946

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Art, Politics & Government, Language

Tags Politics & Government, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography

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Why Liberalism Failed

by Patrick J. Deneen

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Community, Equality, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Environment

Tags Politics & Government, Philosophy, World History, Education, Education, Social Science, Business & Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Arts & Culture

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Why We Can't Wait

by Martin Luther King Jr.

Publication year 1964

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism, Black Lives Matter, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, Biography

Why We Can’t Wait is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s history of the Birmingham protests that took place in 1963 and his effort to explain the aims and goals of the Civil Rights Movement to a national audience. King explores the background of the protests in Birmingham, the importance of nonviolence as the primary approach to protest, how this approach played out in Birmingham, and the aftermath of the protests in an introduction and eight chapters... Read Why We Can't Wait Summary

Wisdom Sits in Places

by Keith H. Basso

Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Language

Tags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

Wisdom Sits in Places (University of New Mexico Press, 1996) is a non-fiction book of essays by American ethnographer and anthropologist Keith Basso. In the book, Basso explores the role of place-names, or toponyms, in the language and culture of the Western Apache. In doing so, he sets forth an argument that the way of life of the Western Apache can only be understood by examining their sense of place, and he makes the case... Read Wisdom Sits in Places Summary

Witness

by Whittaker Chambers

Publication year 1952

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, The Past, Politics & Government, War, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil

Tags US History, Cold War, Politics & Government, Philosophy, Christian, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography

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Women Who Run with the Wolves

by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Publication year 1992

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity

Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Philosophy, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Fantasy, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

Women Who Run With the Wolves (1992) is the most well-known book by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It became a New York Times bestseller and appeared on the bestseller lists of USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal. Other books by the same author include The Gift of Story (1993), The Faithful Gardener (1996), and Untie the Strong Woman (2011). Estés has also recorded numerous audiobooks on related topics. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology... Read Women Who Run with the Wolves Summary

Works and Days

by Hesiod

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Siblings

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Mythology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classical Period, World History, Fantasy

“Works and Days” is a didactic poem by Hesiod dating to approximately the eighth century BCE. Hesiod begins the poem with the traditional invocation to the muses, but he deviates slightly from this tradition by including personal information; the poem is an explanation of a dispute between Hesiod and his brother Perses over a family inheritance. The poem’s thematic concerns, which Hesiod explores by arguing how harmful his brother’s actions are not only to himself... Read Works and Days Summary