Philosophy

Classical Philosophy in a Nutshell explains the key ideas of the great philosophers of antiquity in an accessible, easy-to-understand format. Each chapter features helpful summaries of the main philosophical concepts and the biographies of both famous and lesser-known classical philosophers - as well as a few words on their relevance today. The book includes a diagram of the "Philosopher's Family Tree," flaps for easy place-keeping, a handy index, and a range of philosophers and schools of thought from the Classical Era, • Socrates • Plato • Aristotle • Marcus Aurelius • Pythagoras • Seneca ABOUT THE The critically-acclaimed Knowledge in a Nutshell series provides accessible and engaging introductions to wide-ranging topics, written by experts in their fields.

Written in 1914 but not published until 1925, a year after Kafka’s death, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.

We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to technology, education and communication our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness. What’s going on? If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it’s Mark Manson. In 2016, Manson published The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, a book that brilliantly gave shape to the ever-present, low-level hum of anxiety that permeates modern living. He showed us that technology had made it too easy to care about the wrong things, that our culture had convinced us that the world owed us something when it didn’t—and worst of all, that our modern and maddening urge to always find happiness only served to make us unhappier. Instead, the “subtle art” of that title turned out to be a bold challenge: to choose your struggle; to narrow and focus and find the pain you want to sustain. The result was a book that became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies worldwide while becoming the #1 bestseller in 13 different countries. Now, in Everthing Is F*cked, Manson turns his gaze from the inevitable flaws within each individual self to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways they have come to resemble one another. He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself. With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, a startling challenge to our thinking about depression and anxiety. Award-winning journalist Johann Hari suffered from depression since he was a child and started taking antidepressants when he was a teenager. He was told—like his entire generation—that his

Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on Sun Tzu to warfare and civilization have adapted these teachings for use in politics, business and everyday life. The Art of War is a book which should be used to gain advantage of opponents in the boardroom and battlefield alike.

To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart Tolle offers simple language and a question and answer format to show us how to silence our thoughts and create a liberated life.

This strange and lovely parable, written as much for adults as for children, and beautifully illustrated by the author, has become a classic of our time. The narrator, an air pilot, tells how, having made a forced landing in the Sahara Desert, he meets the little prince. The wise and enchanting stories the prince tells about the planet where he lives with three volcanoes and a haught flower, about the other planets and their rulers, and about his fight with the bad seeds, make him an entrancing, unforgettable character. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a novelist and professional air pilot. He wrote The Little Prince a year before his death in 1944. DESCRIPTION ON BACK JACKET OF THIS EDITION: When a pilot crash-lands in the Sahara Desert he meets a stranger - a little prince - who has arrived on Earth from an entirely different planet. By listening to the prince's stories and his questions about the world, it becomes clear to the pilot that truths about life can reveal themselves in the most unlikely of places. Translated into 180 languages and selling over 80 million copies, this beautiful and wise tale of childhood innocence will delight readers of all ages. This edition also includes Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's charming original illustrations.

Chivalry is a flower no less indigenous to the soil of Japan than its emblem, the cherry blossom; nor is it a dried-up specimen of an antique virtue preserved in the herbarium of our history. It is still a living object of power and beauty among us - The Way of the Samurai. This luxurious hardback edition presents the classic work The Way of the Samurai - a fascinating exploration of Japanese samurai culture and their moral code. This classic text by Inazo Nitobe reveals the beliefs and traditions within samurai culture. They were not simply warriors but an aristocratic class who practiced literary and military arts in equal measure. Nitobe explores this duality and the ways samurai principles continue to have resonance in modern Japanese society and around the globe. Essential to this way of life was the samurai's moral code and the quality of bushido , roughly translated as chivalry. The Way of the Samurai provides an intriguing exploration of bushido and other valued qualities such as rectitude or justice, courage, politeness, veracity, honour, loyalty and self-control. It also explores the Samurai's more violent traditions, such as the chilling act of hara-kiri or self-immolation. This mixture of chivalric principles with brutal warfare is fascinating. While many aspects of Samurai culture have disappeared, its principles still have resonance in modern Japanese society and around the globe. This compact edition is presented in a luxury gift format.

Titles In This Set:

1. The Art of War
2. Six Secret Teachings
3. The Methods of the Sima
4. Wuzi
5. Wei Liaozi
6. Three Strategies of Huang Shigong
7. Questions and Replies
8. Notes

Description:

The Art of War
Taken from the experiences of Ancient China’s most brilliant warriors more than 2000 years ago, Sun Tzu’s famed The Art of War contains valuable lessons on strategic warfare that continue to be relevant today.

Six Secret Teachings
Written from a revolutionary perspective, Six Secret Teachings concerns itself with the topics of tactics, morality and effective communication, and contains valuable lessons on strategic warfare that continue to be relevant today.

The Methods of the Sima
Taking a philosophical approach to organisation, administration, discipline and the management of military campaigns, The Methods of the Sima contains valuable lessons that continue to be relevant today.

Wuzi
One of the oldest of the Seven Military Classics from Ancient China, Wuzi focusses on human nature and behaviour, and contains valuable lessons on strategic warfare that continue to be relevant today.

Wei Liaozi
Wei Liaozi takes a theoretical approach in exploring a governing state’s ideal values and the way it should behave. The text contains valuable lessons on strategy and management that continue to be relevant today.

Three Strategies of Huang Shigong
A later addition to China’s most influential military texts, Three Strategies of Huang Shigong takes a philosophical approach to governance and contains valuable lessons on strategic warfare that continue to be relevant today.

Questions and Replies
A later addition to China’s most influential military texts, Questions and Replies builds on the ideas raised in the earlier six of the Seven Military Classics from Ancient China and contains valuable lessons on strategic warfare that continue to be relevant today.

Notes
A personal notebook for readers to write their own notes.

Two brilliant existential novels from one of the titans of Russian literature. Notes from Underground is the dystopian tale of the Underground Man, a retired civil servant living in St Petersburg, who criticises western philosophy and contemporary society. The Double is the story of Golyadkin, who on a bitter snowy night encounters a stranger who looks exactly like him. They become friends, but Golyadkin gradually realises that, unlike himself, his double is socially successful, and he finds himself caught up in a psychological battle that can only end in tragedy. At the heart of both novels lie Dostoevsky's ruminations on the need to establish one's true identity and how society can distort the perception of who one truly is.