Showing titles in History

Is there an answer to the question "How does one lead a happy life?" Certainly one ancient Greek school of philosophy believed that there was: lead a life of virtue, one in harmony with nature and do not be swayed by fortune or misfortune.

From the best-selling author of The Seven Storey Mountain, essential listening for Christians, Catholics, and all wisdom seekers. A leading Christian intellectual and a global citizen, Thomas Merton was known for his mission to understand and learn from other cultures’ worldviews and...

Genius. The word connotes an almost unworldly power: the power to create, to grasp universal secrets, even to destroy. As renowned intellectual historian Darrin McMahon explains in Divine Fury, the concept of genius can be traced back to antiquity, when men of great insight were thought to be advised by demons. The modern idea of genius emerged in tension with a growing belief in human equality; contesting the notion that all are created equal, geniuses served to dramatize the exception of extraordinary individuals not governed by ordinary laws.

"Jenseits von Gut und Böse" ... Dies heißt zum Mindesten nicht "Jenseits von Gut und Schlecht"." (Friedrich Nietzsche: Zur Genealogie der Moral. Erste Abhandlung) "An einer Theorie ist wahrhaft nicht ihr geringster Reiz, dass sie widerlegbar ist: gerade damit zieht sie feinere Köpfe an. Es scheint, dass die hundertfach widerlegte Theorie vom "freien Willen" ihre Fortdauer nur noch diesem Reize verdankt -: immer wieder kommt Jemand und fühlt sich stark genug, sie zu widerlegen." (Friedrich Nietzsche: Jenseits von Gut und Böse. Erstes Hauptstück).

What to Expect When You're Dead chronicles the ways ancient peoples answered questions such as: How to achieve a good death and afterlife? What's the best way to dispose of a body? Do the dead face a postmortem judgement—and where do they end up? Do the dead have bodies in the afterlife—and can they eat, drink, and have sex? And what can the living do to stay on good terms with the nonliving?

Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher. This short "handbook", which was actually written down by one of his pupils, is a guide to daily living. It has been read by countless people over the centuries because of its sensibility and its easy application to daily living. Unlike some of his forefathers in philosophy, like Plato and Aristotle, he focuses on how to practically apply oneself on a philosophical level.

Award-winning historian Simon Schama's landmark exploration of how America's past influences its future 'I can tell you exactly when American democracy came back from the dead, because I was there . . .' Simon Schama's different kind of history of the USA begins in the middle of an Iowa caucus. There he witnesses first-hand the exciting, chaotic crush as ordinary Americans - grannies, students, businesswomen and doctors - decide who should become the 44th President of the United States.

A compelling investigation into one of our most coveted and cherished ideals, and the efforts of modern science to penetrate the mysterious nature of this timeless virtue. We all recognize wisdom, but defining it is more elusive. In this fascinating journey from philosophy to science, Stephen S. Hall gives us a dramatic history of wisdom, from its sudden emergence in four different locations (Greece, China, Israel, and India) in the fifth century B.C. to its modern manifestations.

How to Win an Election is an ancient Roman guide for campaigning that is as up-to-date as tomorrow's headlines. In 64 BC when idealist Marcus Cicero, Rome's greatest orator, ran for consul (the highest office in the Republic), his practical brother Quintus decided he needed some no-nonsense advice on running a successful campaign.

At the age of eight, Karl Popper was puzzling over the idea of infinity and by fifteen was beginning to take a keen interest in his father's well-stocked library of books. Unended Quest recounts these moments and many others in the life of one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth...

The ancient biographer and essayist Plutarch thought deeply about the leadership qualities of the eminent Greeks and Romans he profiled in his famous - and massive - Lives, including politicians and generals such as Pericles, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony. Luckily for us, Plutarch distilled what he learned about wise leadership in a handful of essays, which are filled with essential lessons for experienced and aspiring leaders in any field today. 

Letters from a Stoic is one of the essential works of Roman Stoic philosophy, offering a series of moral reflections on virtue, discipline, friendship, time, grief, mortality, wealth, simplicity, and the art of living well. Written as letters addressed to Lucilius, these meditations combine practical advice with deep philosophical insight, showing how reason, self-command, and inner freedom can help a person face uncertainty, loss, desire, and fear.

In an increasingly polarised world, asking better questions in our daily and working lives is a radical shortcut to personal and professional success. It can create space for us to rethink our positions, find answers together and even change our minds for the better.

 Augustine was arguably the greatest early Christian philosopher. His teachings had a profound effect on medieval scholarship, Renaissance humanism, and the religious controversies of both the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. Here, Henry Chadwick places Augustine in his philosophical and religious context and traces the history of his influence on Western thought, both within and beyond the Christian tradition. 

Throughout history philosophers have sought to define, understand, and delineate concepts important to human well-being. One such concept is "knowledge." Many philosophers believed that absolute, certain knowledge, is possible—that the physical world and ideas formulated about it could be...

The Outward Path refers to the central insight that our true desire as human beings is not really for "happiness," a fleeting mood. What we really want is a rich and worthwhile life, which we can only achieve by pursuing an outward path of engagement with other people.

Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (46 ce - after 119) was born in Chaeronea, Boeotia, to a wealthy Greek family and assumed his full Latin name on becoming a Roman citizen. He made the most of his varied background and experience as a philosopher, magistrate, ambassador and priest at the Delphic Temple...

Todo lo que los filósofos griegos pensaron hace mucho tiempo para mejorar tu vida ahora mismo ¿Qué le diría Epicuro a Elon Musk? ¿Y Diógenes a una celebrity de Instagram? Es más, ¿qué te dirían los viejos filósofos a ti? Sí, a ti. Eres más griego de lo que piensas, todo lo que te...

Nos guste o no, vivimos en un mundo regido por el conflicto y la competencia feroz que nos exige siempre estar alertas y entrar en acción en todo momento. Si nos descuidamos, si no reaccionamos a tiempo ante los retos que nos plantea el entorno, si dejamos que los demás nos controlen y decidan por nosotros, estaremos perdidos.

The Enchiridion is a collection of the most profound teachings of Epictetus (c. AD 55-135), who taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a matter of theory. The Enchiridion is a canonical text of Stoic philosophy and contains all the fundamentals. Among them is the principle of not being concerned with that which is out of one’s control. Misfortune should not disturb the individual at all and should not be perceived negatively.