Modern Ethics

Since the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, sexual identity has dominated both public discourse and cultural trends — yet no historical phenomenon is its own cause. From Augustine to Marx, various views and perspectives have contributed to the modern understanding of the self.

A “marvelous” (Economist) account of how the Christian Revolution forged the Western imagination. Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular...

In this classic work, Alasdair MacIntyre examines the historical and conceptual roots of the idea of virtue, diagnoses the reasons for its absence in personal and public life, and offers a tentative proposal for its recovery. While the individual chapters are wide-ranging, once pieced together, they comprise a penetrating and focused argument about the price of modernity.

Navigate the obstacles of contemporary life and find happiness by following in the footsteps of the classical tradition of Stoicism in this empowering and accessible book written by the founder of the popular The Everyday Stoic account. William Mulligan, founder of The Everyday Stoic, transforms...

Evil threatens human reason, for it challenges our hope that the world makes sense. For 18th-century Europeans, the Lisbon earthquake was manifest evil. Today we view evil as a matter of human cruelty, and Auschwitz as its extreme incarnation. Examining our understanding of evil from the Inquisition to contemporary terrorism, Susan Neiman explores who we have become in the three centuries that separate us from the early Enlightenment. In the process, she rewrites the history of modern thought and points philosophy back to the questions that originally animated it.

Practical and insightful, The Sacred Tradition of Yoga begins with a clear and deep inquiry into the human condition, reminding us of true purpose of Yoga. The second half of the book focuses on the yamas and niyamas, the personal disciplines and social ethics of yoga. Throughout, Dr. Jois’ teachings honor ancient traditions and underscore the benefits we can gain from adopting a yogic way of life in the modern world.

Benedict de Spinoza's Ethics, first published in 1677, constitutes a major systematic critique of the traditional and religious foundations of philosophical thought. In it, Spinoza follows a logical step-by-step format consisting of definitions, axioms, propositions, proofs, and corollaries to create a comprehensive inquiry into the truth about God, nature, and humans' place within the universe. From these broad metaphysical themes, Spinoza derives what he considered to be the highest principles of religion and society and lays out an ethical system in which reason is the supreme value.

Unlock the ideas that shaped the modern world with Thinking in the Modern Age: An Engaging Journey Through Contemporary Philosophy. This accessible yet in-depth guide takes readers on a journey through the most influential movements and thinkers of the past three centuries, from the Enlightenment to postmodernism. Explore how rationalism and empiricism laid the foundations of modern knowledge, how existentialism grappled with freedom and meaning, and how pragmatism turned philosophy into a tool for action. Discover the analytic tradition’s search for clarity, phenomenology’s focus on ...

David Hume (1711-1776) was the most important philosopher ever to write in English as well as a master stylist. This volume contains his major philosophical works. A Treatise of Human Nature (1739–1740), published while Hume was still in his twenties, consists of three books on the understanding, the passions, and morals.

This is an audiobook about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. It is for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them. Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important. Simon Blackburn begins by putting forward a convincing case for the study of philosophy and goes on to give the listener a sense of how the great historical figures such as Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein have approached its central themes.

Vividly written, The Infidel and the Professor is a compelling account of a great friendship of two towering Enlightenment thinkers that had great consequences for modern thought. David Hume is widely regarded as the most important philosopher ever to write in English, but during his lifetime, he was attacked as "the Great Infidel" for his skeptical religious views and deemed unfit to teach the young. In contrast, Adam Smith was a revered professor of moral philosophy and is now often hailed as the founding father of capitalism.

Should Christians be involved in political issues? This comprehensive and readable book presents a political philosophy from the perspective that the Gospel pertains to all of life, including politics. Politics—According to the Bible is an in-depth analysis of conservative and liberal plans...

From Menageries to Modern Zoos: The Epic Evolution of Captive Wildlife A sweeping history of humankind’s enduring fascination with the animal kingdom — from ancient temples and royal courts to the ethical frontiers of modern conservation. For more than five thousand years, humans have gathered wild animals into spaces of wonder, worship, and power. From Menageries to Modern Zoos traces that extraordinary journey — from the sacred crocodile pools of ancient Egypt and the pleasure gardens of imperial China, through the blood-soaked arenas of Rome and the gilded cages of the Renaissance,...

It has been proclaimed many times, but perhaps never more convincingly than now, when every news cycle seems to deliver further confirmation of a world gone mad. Is this the endgame? Author Spencer Klavan is a classicist, with a Ph.D. from Oxford, and a deep understanding of the West. His analysis: The situation is dire. But every crisis we face today, we have faced before. And we can surmount each one. Klavan brings to the West’s defense the insights of Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, and the Founding Fathers to show that in the wisdom of the past lies hope for the future.

Camus and Existentialism: What He Agreed With, What He Rejected, and Why It Matters is a clear, engaging, and deeply readable guide to one of the most important philosophical relationships of the twentieth century. Albert Camus is often linked to Jean Paul Sartre and the existentialist movement, yet Camus spent his entire career insisting that he was not an existentialist. This book explains why. Through ten detailed chapters, readers explore Camus’ early life in Algeria, his philosophical formation, the rise of existentialism in Europe, and the dramatic public split between Camus and ...

What if the greatest danger facing today’s believers isn’t persecution, but compromise? In a world where moral lines are blurred, truth is traded for convenience, and faith is watered down by cultural pressure, the question is no longer whether Christians can survive—but whether they can stand with integrity. Every day, you are confronted with choices that test your convictions: decisions about relationships, money, politics, sexuality, work, technology, and faith itself. The temptation to bend the truth or blend in with the crowd feels overwhelming. Many have already surrendered ...

A Brief History of Everything is an altogether friendly and accessible account of men and women's place in a universe of sex, soul, and spirit, written by an author of whom New York Times reporter Tony Schwartz says: "No one has described the path to wisdom better than Ken Wilber." Wilber...

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is one of the greatest guides to human flourishing ever written, but its length and style have left many readers languishing. How to Flourish is a colloquial new translation by Susan Sauve Meyer that makes Aristotle's timeless insights about how to lead a good life more engaging and accessible than ever before.

In his essay On Anger, the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca argues that anger is the most destructive passion. This splendid new translation of essential selections from On Anger, presented with an enlightening introduction, offers listeners a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples, anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity.

Reason and Revolution: Understanding the Transformative Ideas of Bertrand Russell Bertrand Russell was one of the most brilliant and courageous thinkers of the twentieth century—a philosopher, mathematician, and activist who devoted his life to truth, freedom, and reason. Reason and Revolution: Understanding the Transformative Ideas of Bertrand Russell explores the extraordinary scope of his thought, from his pioneering work in logic and mathematics to his passionate defense of peace, education, and intellectual freedom. This in-depth exploration traces how Russell reshaped philosophy ...