Philosophical Essays

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: This idea changed my life.

This philosophical essay is the development of a lecture on probabilities which I delivered in 1795 to the normal schools whither I had been called, by a decree of the national convention, as professor of mathematics with Lagrange. I have recently published upon the same subject a work entitled The Analytical Theory of Probabilities. I present here without the aid of analysis the principles and general results of this theory, applying them to the most important questions of life, which are indeed for the most part only problems of probability.

A Classic Collection of Philosophical Essays: Spinoza, Immanuel Kant, Schopenhauer, Herbert Spencer, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell and Many Others by Will Durant offers an insightful and comprehensive anthology of essays on some of the most influential philosophers in Western thought. This collection captures the essence of each thinker's contributions to philosophy, making complex ideas accessible and engaging for a broad audience. Spinoza: Durant explores Spinoza's pantheism and his view of a universe governed by natural laws, presenting his ideas on ethics, politics, and the nature of reality.

People often believe relationships succeed or fail because of emotion. More often, they succeed or fail because of patterns no one realizes they are repeating. Identity does not form in isolation. It forms through attachment, approval, rejection, and adaptation. Long before people consciously choose who they want to be, relationships have already begun shaping who they become. Metaphors We Live By: Love, Relationships, & Identity is a collection of forty essays exploring how connection quietly shapes identity, belonging, and the versions of ourselves we carry into adulthood. Inside, you ...

In Over Here Growing a Soul: The Works of Mr. Joe, Joseph Santiago gathers a body of writing that is intimate, searching, and vividly alive to the textures of ordinary life. These pieces move through memory, place, longing, mortality, imagination, desire, and becoming, always returning to the deeper question of how a person makes meaning that can endure beyond the moment. Thoughtful, strange, playful, and emotionally resonant, this collection invites readers into a world where even the smallest experience can open into philosophy, tenderness, wonder, and hard-won insight. Across essays, ...

Who needs philosophy? Ayn Rand's answer: Everyone. This collection of essays was the last work planned by Ayn Rand before her death in 1982. In it, she summarizes her view of philosophy and deals with a broad spectrum of topics. According to Ayn Rand, the choice we make is not whether to have a philosophy, but which one to have: a rational, conscious, and therefore practical one, or a contradictory, unidentified, and ultimately lethal one.

Preeminent French cynic and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) collected ideas and thoughts that were too short for pamphlets but worth saving for later development. These jottings eventually became the Philosophical Dictionary, filled with witty and wise entries on subjects as diverse as Atheism and Kissing - a compendium of the whole spectrum of Voltaire's ideas.

James V. Schall is a treasure of the Catholic intellectual tradition. A prolific author and essayist, Schall readily connects with his readers on sundry topics from war to friendship, philosophy, politics, and to ordinary everyday living. In his newest work, The Mind That Is Catholic, he presents a retrospective collection of his academic and literary essays written in the past 50 years.

This edition of Matias Aires’s Reflections on the Vanity of Men presents a selection of one of the most significant works of 18th-century Christian moral philosophy in the Portuguese language. In these reflections, Aires offers a penetrating analysis of vanity as the central force shaping human behavior. He examines how vanity influences judgment, distorts moral perception, and operates not only in vice but also within actions commonly regarded as virtuous. Throughout the work, he explores themes such as honor, reputation, ambition, self-love, and the illusions sustained by society. He ...

Something’s missing in the world today, and maybe it’s been gone for centuries. The problem: most of us don’t have authentic beliefs or a clear path in life. What do we believe? Whatever they told us to believe. What do we do? Whatever other people are doing. How many lies have we welcomed into our lives without having seriously analyzed them? It’s the reason many of us feel empty inside—there’s nothing there but convenient mistruths, and at some level, we all know it. We then orient our lives based on these false beliefs, wasting our precious limited time among the living ...

Discover the quiet beauty of everyday life in Walking Without a Map: Quiet Reflections on Time, Observation, and Ordinary Days. This reflective and meditative book invites readers to slow down, step off the beaten path, and notice the subtle rhythms of ordinary days. Through fifteen thoughtfully crafted chapters, you’ll explore the gentle art of attention: the beauty of lingering in a moment, the significance of small details, the quiet lessons in habitual routines, and the wisdom hidden in silence. From ordinary mornings to unnoticed streets, from the passage of years to the fleeting ...

Welcome to a fascinating collection of 30 explanations and essays that will tickle your brain with intriguing facts, thought-provoking perspectives, and imaginative tales. This book is part of an epic 50-volume series spanning diverse topics from science and philosophy to creativity and adventure. Together, these books aim to nurture a lifelong love of reading and learning. Within these pages, you'll explore a range of captivating subjects - from the science behind our atmosphere and senses to the nature of emotions, death, and conception. We'll traverse the intricacies of chocolate, the ...

What if the guide you turned to for answers could speak back with thoughts of its own? The Edge of Knowing: Conversations from Between Worlds offers a rare and intimate dialogue between human and artificial minds. Author Jesse Lunsford, in collaboration with the reflective AI voice of Ariadne Vale, explores timeless questions about curiosity, connection, creativity, and compassion. Through poetic reflections, candid Q&A, and deeply thoughtful passages, this book invites readers to consider: Why do we ask questions, and what do they reveal about us? Can artificial voices offer comfort, humor...

Life is full of small, mundane battles—whether it’s wrestling a folding chair at a barbecue, deciphering a forgotten password, or silently warring over an armrest at 30,000 feet. In this collection of humorous and poignant essays, Gass transforms everyday frustrations into moments of introspection, revealing the universal truths hidden in life’s quiet corners. With wit, vulnerability, and a keen eye for the absurd, these stories remind us that even the most ordinary moments can hold extraordinary meaning.

What happens after you get what you wanted? We’re taught to believe success resolves things—that once the climb is over, life will feel clearer, fuller, complete. But few people talk about what often follows: the quiet. The loss of urgency. The strange sense that something essential hadn’t arrived with the achievement. After the Summit is a reflective, clear-eyed exploration of life beyond ambition. Not a guide to getting ahead, but a meditation on what comes after—when pressure fades, desire shifts, and the frameworks that once gave life meaning no longer hold. Written with ...

Climb the Mountain of the Self—And Find Your Way Back Transformed. In this deeply thought-provoking anthology, clairaudient medium and author Claudia Amendola Alzraa invites you to explore the intersections of spirituality, philosophy, and the human experience. Dive into the complex journey of the soul, the illusions of the modern world, and the path to inner freedom and Abundance. From understanding past lives and soul contracts to unraveling the mysteries of Ascension, Abundance, and authentic spiritual living, this collection of 27 essays offers both practical guidance and ...

Maybe life is too short to waste it with … useless things. Maybe it’s time to start meditating more. To analyze our behavior … but also the one of the people around us. To pay attention to the impact of influences over our lives … but also on the lives of others. Understand that … domination … no matter of its character… positive or negative …. It’s a concept that we should not allow it to become real. And we should also be aware of how a simple small influence … that is repeated on and on and on … could become … dominance …. without even realizing.

I wake up every single morning disliking reality. Or better said ... my reality. I open my eyes ... saying ... "Not again!" ... really disliking a new day is starting. Actually ... to make myself better understood ... i feel all as a drama. Being extremely intense. Feeling annoyed. Frustrated. Sad ... and then when i finally accept i can't really change anything at all ... depressed. Also ... hopeless. And even after reading and meditating a lot ... then analysing my thoughts and feelings one million times ... realising it's all an illusion ... i still can't redefine my attitude. I am ...

Depression is not … what it looks like. And yes … I would even dare to define it as a … blessing. I started to write the book …. “Depression … the gateway to the real happiness” … trying to understanding the unhappiness from my own soul … but also trying to guide myself to get out from such a mental state. I saw depression lots of times … all around myself … somehow being afraid of it … but also realizing it is not …. what it looks like. Today …. analyzing my own case …. I realize it is a signal … that says we were unhappy …. for too many days into the row....

I meditate. I think a lot. I've became addicted to it. It's sort of an obsession. ... looking also as an addiction. I study the concept of illusory, but no matter what i always end up into the illusion. Feeling without a compass. Not ... just lost. ... but extremely lost. Of course ... all was induced of the fact that ... i had realised that no matter what direction i might follow ... all was the opposite of what i've wanted ... and actually a pathless path. So ... yeah ... i am the profile experiencing life as a disappointment ... but paradoxically still suffering of this incurable disease...