Born on June 28, 1712, the Genevan philosopher, novelist and essayist Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most prominent and definitive minds of the Enlightenment. Self-taught, Rousseau dabbled in many fields, keeping journals of his interests in science, mathematics, music, astronomy, botany, music, literature, and philosophy. He achieved sudden success and subsequent fame with his "A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences", a work that cemented his...

In ancient Rome, Seneca the Younger rose to power as a politician and statesman during the middle of his life. After being exiled by Emperor Caligula, he was finally welcomed back to Rome as Nero's minister. He gained significant wealth, though Seneca often despised his own standing because of his personal philosophy. At the end of his life, Seneca wrote a number of letters to the Roman governor of Sicily. From this collection of letters comes "Letters...

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. Jean-Jacques Rousseau's thesis that children are naturally good at birth violated the traditional Christian doctrine of origin sin. His argument that education should arise from children's natural instincts and impulses rather than trying to civilize and socialize them challenged traditional schooling. Rousseau's defenders see him as a pioneering thinker whose revolutionary...

Politician, soldier, naturalist, and historian—a century after the peak of his multifaceted career, Theodore Roosevelt remains a towering symbol of American optimism and progress. This collection of speeches and commentaries from 1899 through 1901 embodies the Rough Rider's enduring ideals for attaining a robust political, social, and personal life.

The twenty-sixth president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) served

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Covering topics ranging from literature to philosophy, history to social criticism, this is a snapshot of thought on 20th-century Europe (and the world) by one of Europe's sharpest wits and ablest pens. With chapter titles ranging from "The Miser and His Friends" to "The Red Reactionary," from "The Separatist and Sacred Things" to "The New Theologian" and "The Romantic in the Rain," this volume includes 39 brief sketches of individuals, each one of...

Heretics by G. K. Chesterton Nothing more strangely indicates an enormous and silent evil of modern society than the extraordinary use which is made nowadays of the word "orthodox." In former days the heretic was proud of not being a heretic. It was the kingdoms of the world and the police and the judges who were heretics. He was orthodox. He had no pride in having rebelled against them; they had rebelled against him. The armies with their cruel...

Confucius was a Chinese teacher, statesman, and philosopher who lived in the 5th and 6th century BC. One of the most influential philosophers of all time, and still deeply regarded amongst the Chinese people, his ideology is one which emphasizes the importance of the family, as well as justice, sincerity, and morality in both personal and political matters. Confucius did not regard himself as an innovator, but as the conservator of ancient truth and...

The Essays of Michel de Montaigne (1877) is a collection of essays and letters by Michel de Montaigne. Originally published in French as Essais (1580), this edition was translated by English poet Charles Cotton in the late-17th century and republished by William Carew Hazlitt, the grandson of renowned English essayist and critic William Hazlitt. "No man living is more free from this passion [of sorrow] than I, who yet neither like it in myself nor...

A collection of four dialogues by Plato that reflect on the trial and death of Socrates.

Renowned for his prolific writing-everything from philosophy screeds to detective fiction-G. K. Chesterton had a worldview like no other, one that inspires thinkers to this day. In this collection of writings, he shares his thoughts on a diverse array of topics, making no apologies for his leaps from one subject to another. He's not afraid to get into the down and dirty of everyday life. Of his essays-on futurists, telegraph poles, kinds of men, and...