National Network for Equitable Library Service

Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In this book, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it.

Why is true happiness so elusive, and why is it so hard to define? Philosopher and happiness theorist, J. Budziszewski draws on decades of study to dispel the myths and wishful thinking that blind people from uncovering lasting fulfillment.

Ward Farnsworth explains what the Socratic method is, how it works, and why it matters more than ever in our time.

Today, when killing the enemy can seem tantamount to playing a video game, what constitutes warfare? Phelps, former commander of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft unit, addresses these questions and others.

The Enlightenment is the fountainhead of modern secular Western values: religious tolerance, freedom of thought, speech, and the press, of rationality and evidence based argument. Yet why, over three hundred years later is the Enlightenment so profoundly misunderstood as the expression of soulless calculation? Ritchie Robertson goes back from approximately 1680 to 1790 to reveal what this much-debated period was really about.

Krznaric reveals six practical ways we can retrain our brains to think of the long view. His aim is to shift our allegiance from this generation to all humanity, to save our planet and our future.

Most people think of themselves as "good", but it's not always easy to determine what's "good" or "bad"-especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more, so we can sound cool at parties and become better people.

"Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world did wake civilization from a thousand year hibernation.

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.

Although we tend to associate social transformation with major events, historical turning points, or revolutionary upheaval, Revolutionary Routines argues that seemingly minor everyday habits are the key to meaningful change. Through its account of influential socio-political processes - such as the resurgence of fascism and white supremacy, the crafting of new technologies of governance, and the operation of digital media and algorithms - this book rethinks not only how change works, but also what counts as change.