Showing titles in Consciousness & Thought

Brought to you by Penguin. The million-copy Korean phenomenon on how to find the strength to be yourself. As seen being read by BTS's Jungkook on Bon Voyage, the hit reality TV show following K-pop sensation BTS! Don’t be kind to those who aren’t kind to you. Remember that no one lives a...

With historical adherents as various as Mark Twain, Einstein, Freud, Philip Pullman, and Frank Zappa, Humanism’s central quest is to live with meaning with no need for the supernatural. Showing how humanists make sense of the world using reason, experience, and sensitivity, Cave emphasises that we can, and should, flourish without God. Lively, provocative, and refreshingly rant-free, this audiobook is essential listening for all - whether atheist, agnostic, believer, or of no view - who wish better to understand what it means to be human.

Abraham H. Maslow was one of the foremost spokespersons of humanistic psychology. In The Farthest Reaches of Human Nature, an extension of his classic Toward a Psychology of Being, Maslow explores the complexities of human nature by using both the empirical methods of science and the aesthetics of philosophical inquiry. With essays on biology, synergy, creativity, cognition, self-actualization, and the hierarchy of needs, this posthumous work is a wide-ranging synthesis of Maslow's inspiring and influential ideas.

'Brilliant. Searching and profound' E.H. Carr, Times Literary Supplement 'When reading Isaiah Berlin we breathe an altogether different air' New York Review of Books 'Beautifully written' W. H. Auden, New Yorker 'Ingenious. Exactly what good critical writing should be' Max Beloff, Guardian The...

"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains." These are the famous opening words of a treatise that has not ceased to stir vigorous debate since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, Rousseau argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power.

Silence is habitually overlooked—after all, throughout our lives, it has to compete with the cacophony of the outside world and our near-constant interior dialogue that judges, analyzes, compares, and questions. But, if we can get past this barrage, there lies a quiet place that’s well worth discovering.

Although content in their temple high up in the mountains, Tiny Dragon realises that something feels incomplete. So it is that they decide to make a journey together, to new and distant lands. As they encounter dangers and challenges, they learn that everything they need is already inside them and that change, though sometimes scary, is possible and, with patience, can lead to better things.

"Consciousness is what makes the mind-body problem really intractable." So begins Thomas Nagel's classic 1974 essay "What is it Like to be a Bat?" Nagel's essay initiated the now widespread attention to consciousness as a central problem for philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience; it also influenced the recognition of the consciousness of nonhuman creatures as an important subject of study.

This philosophical study explores the concept of the "pluri person"—the multiplicity and fragmentation of selfhood—through the lens of irony as both rhetorical strategy and existential condition. The book argues that ironic consciousness reveals the inherently plural nature of human identity, challenging unified models of subjectivity that dominate Western philosophical traditions. The book investigates how irony functions as more than a literary device, serving as a fundamental mode of being that acknowledges contradiction, multiplicity, and performativity at the core of personal identity.

A wide-ranging philosophical and practical guide to incorporating the wisdom of ancient philosophers into daily modern life. How can I live a good life? Who do I want to become? And how do I get there? These are some of life's biggest questions. But they can be hard to think through. Fortunately...

"Mind Over Muscle: Writings from the Founder of Judo" by Jigoro Kano offers a profound exploration of the philosophy, principles, and educational values behind Judo, one of Japan's most renowned martial arts. This collection of essays and lectures reveals Kano’s vision of Judo as a discipline that goes beyond physical techniques, promoting moral and intellectual development for personal and societal benefit.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question, What makes a life worth living?...

Matter and Memory, (Matière et Mémoire), published in 1896, was the second book written by Henri Bergson (1859-1941), one of the leading French philosophers of his age. It followed Time and Free Will (1889) and helped to establish him as a major force in anti-mechanistic thought, opposing the trend towards uncompromisingly secular and scientific views. However, when Matter and Memory appeared, Bergson was 39 and had yet to become the hugely influential figure he became in the first decades of the 20th century. 

This book offers what may with reservations be described as a theory of the mind. But it does not give new information about minds. We possess already a wealth of information about minds, information which is neither derived from, nor upset by, the arguments of philosophers. The philosophical arguments which constitute this book are intended not to increase what we know about minds, but to rectify the logical geography of the knowledge which we already possess.

Consciousness creates all material reality. Biological processes do not create consciousness. This conceptual breakthrough turns traditional scientific thinking upside down. In An End to Upside Down Thinking, Mark Gober traces his journey. He explores compelling scientific evidence from a diverse set of disciplines, ranging from psychic phenomena to near-death experiences to quantum physics and beyond.

Healing doesn’t just change how you feel—it changes who you are. It alters the way you love, connect, and show up in your relationships. Suddenly, the roles you once played no longer fit. Familiar dynamics begin to feel heavy, conversations leave you drained, and the people who once felt closest seem unable to meet you where you are. You haven’t become cold. You’ve become coherent. Mind the Gap is a compassionate, clear-eyed guide for navigating the space between your healing and the world around you.

In this rare peak into the personal life of the author of numerous bestselling novels, gain an understanding of David Foster Wallace and how he became the man that he was. Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at...

Without any of the sugarcoating often found in the modern hyper-positive self-help genres, Robert Pantano attempts to provide the value of motivation and personal development through unwavering philosophical honesty. Studying and pulling from ideas in Stoicism, Existentialism, Nihilism...

"It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die", wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD). He counseled readers to "study death always", and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca's remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James S. Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out.

Stoicism for Dummies will teach you the basic principles of stoic philosophy and show you how it can help you navigate the ups and downs of life. We all face challenges and setbacks, and, if we have the right mindset, we can sail through them with ease. This book offers a comprehensive look at Stoic philosophy, uncovering its strengths and attractions and shedding light on its limitations, both in the ancient world where it was developed, and in our world today. Learn how you can apply stoic principles for personal growth and better living.