Philosophy

From the bestselling coauthor of Wittgenstein’s Poker, an entertaining and illuminating biography of a brilliant philosopher who tried to rescue morality from nihilism

A short guide to living well by understanding better what you really value—and what to do when your goals conflict

An incisive and sympathetic examination of the case for ending the practice of imprisonment

Why human nature is an aesthetic phenomenon—and why we need art and philosophy to understand ourselves

A philosopher’s personal meditation on how painful emotions can reveal truths about what it means to be truly human

What Thoreau can teach us about working—why we do it, what it does to us, and how we can make it more meaningful

A sweeping history of libertarian thought, from radical anarchists to conservative defenders of the status quo

The unlikely story of how Americans canonized Adam Smith as the patron saint of free markets

A compelling collection of the life-changing writings of William James

Prescient essays about the state of our politics from the philosopher who predicted that a populist demagogue would become president of the United States

Why you don’t have a self—and why that’s a good thing

A spellbinding look at the philosophical and moral implications of animal dreaming

Why “aporophobia”—rejection of the poor—is one of the most serious problems facing the world today, and how we can fight it

Why life’s shortness—more than anything else—is what makes it meaningful

The surprising story of how Greek classics are being pressed into use in contemporary China to support the regime’s political agenda

A stunning philosophical and literary account of canonical plague tales

A groundbreaking account of the origin and place of meaning in the earthly biosphere

A comprehensive introduction to contemporary political ethics

Why we should take Bernard Mandeville seriously as a philosopher

An engaging account of how Shaftesbury revolutionized Western philosophy

Tracing the origins of modern political thought through three sets of arguments over history, morality, and freedom

The second volume in a landmark commentary on an important and influential work of ancient philosophy

A new reading of Plato’s political thought

An original deep history of the internet that tells the story of the centuries-old utopian dreams behind it—and explains why they have died today

How an acceptance of our limitations can lead to a more fulfilling life and a more harmonious society

A radical reinterpretation of Adam Smith that challenges economists, moral philosophers, political theorists, and intellectual historians to rethink him—and why he matters

How the utopian tradition offers answers to today’s environmental crises

An original, unified reconstruction of Mill’s moral and political philosophy—one that finally reveals its consistency and full power

An argument for why Plato’s Laws can be considered his most important political dialogue

A bold new interpretation of Augustine’s virtue of hope and its place in political life

An engaging and illuminating exploration of grief—and why, despite its intense pain, it can also help us grow

An eminent philosopher explains why we owe it to future generations to take immediate action on global warming

An engaging new translation of a timeless masterpiece about coping with the death of a loved one

A vibrant new translation of Seneca’s “On the Shortness of Life,” a pointed reminder to make the most of our time

An entertaining and enlightening collection of ancient writings about the philosophers who advocated simple living and rejected unthinking conformity

Aristotle’s essential guide to human flourishing—the Nicomachean Ethics—in a lively new abridged translation

How ancient Stoicism can help teach us to treat others—and ourselves—more fairly and mercifully

A delightful anthology of classical Greek and Roman writings celebrating country living—ranging from a philosophy of compost to hymns to the gods of agriculture

What we can learn about fostering innovation and creative thinking from some of the most inventive people of all times—the ancient Greeks

An inviting and highly readable new translation of Aristotle’s complete Poetics—the first and best introduction to the art of writing and understanding stories

Timeless wisdom on generosity and gratitude from the great Stoic philosopher Seneca

How ancient skepticism can help you attain tranquility by learning to suspend judgment

Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience

A sophisticated, original introduction to the philosophy of mathematics from one of its leading thinkers

A sophisticated and original introduction to the philosophy of quantum mechanics from one of the world’s leading philosophers of physics

Philosophical foundations of the physics of space-time

An essential introduction to the philosophy of biology

From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully illustrated collection of classic Zen Buddhist stories that enlighten as they entertain

From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully illustrated version of the classic work of Daoist philosophy

A delightfully illustrated selection of the great Daoist writings of Zhuangzi by bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai

For the first time in one volume, The Analects illustrated by bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai

Invaluable wisdom on living a good life from one of the Enlightenment's greatest philosophers

A powerful personal narrative of recovery and an illuminating philosophical exploration of trauma

An original and provocative exploration of our capacity to ignore what is inconvenient or traumatic

A compelling exploration of how our pursuit of happiness makes us unhappy

A compelling portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft that shows the intimate connections between her life and work

Provocative essays on real-world ethical questions from the world's most influential philosopher

Why the tools of philosophy offer a powerful antidote to today’s epidemic of irrationality

A philosophical exploration of female submission, using insights from feminist thinkers—especially Simone de Beauvoir—to reveal the complexities of women’s reality and lived experience

The first book to address the historical failures of philosophy—and what we can learn from them

Two simple yet tremendously powerful ideas that shaped virtually every aspect of civilization

An expansive look at how culture shapes our emotions—and how we can benefit, as individuals and a society, from less anger and more shame

A timely defense of liberalism that draws vital lessons from its greatest midcentury proponents

A bold reevaluation of Spinoza that reveals his powerful, inclusive vision of religion for the modern age

From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Steven Nadler, an engaging guide to what Spinoza can teach us about life’s big questions

From the author of Wittgenstein's Poker and Would You Kill the Fat Man?, the story of an extraordinary group of philosophers during a dark chapter in Europe's history

How our beliefs about the soul have developed through the ages, and why an understanding of it still matters today

A new understanding of political philosophy from one of its leading thinkers

This is a collection of the late Heda Segvic's papers in ancient moral philosophy. At the time of her death at age forty-five in 2003, Segvic had already established herself as an important figure in ancient philosophy, making bold new...

Philosophic Pride is the first full-scale look at the essential place of Stoicism in the foundations of modern political thought. Spanning the period from Justus Lipsius's Politics in 1589 to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile in 1762, and...

Without Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), we simply would not understand Shakespeare in the way we do. In fact, much literature and art besides Shakespeare would neither look the same nor be the same without the influence of...

The definitive account of Aristotle's life and school

Why equality cannot be conditional on a shared human “nature” but has to be for all

A trenchant defense of hierarchy in different spheres of our lives, from the personal to the political

"Open Democracy envisions what true government by mass leadership could look like."—Nathan Heller, New Yorker
How a new model of democracy that opens up power to ordinary citizens could strengthen inclusiveness, responsiveness, and accountability in modern societies

Why government outsourcing of public powers is making us less free

A bold new approach to combatting the inherent corruption of representative democracy

How transatlantic thinkers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries promoted the unification of Britain and the United States

An innovative reassessment of philosopher P. F. Strawson’s influential “Freedom and Resentment”

From a devoted reader and lifelong bookseller, an eloquent and charming reflection on the singular importance of bookstores

How you can enrich your life by becoming a more skillful and engaged reader of literature

A landmark work of political theory on the central importance of group identity and cultural pluralism in political life

A Dominican-born academic tells the story of how the Great Books transformed his life—and why they have the power to speak to people of all backgrounds

An essential companion to a timeless spiritual classic

A philosophical exploration of female submission, using insights from feminist thinkers—especially Simone de Beauvoir—to reveal the complexities of women’s reality and lived experience