Ocean State Libraries

"Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, and one of the most important philosophers of the past two hundred years. The Problems of Philosophy, one of the most popular works in Russell's prolific collection of writings, has become core reading in philosophy. Clear and accessible, this little book is an intelligible and stimulating guide to those problems of philosophy which often mistakenly make the subject seem too lofty...

One of the most iconoclastic philosophers of all time, Nietzsche dramatically rejected notions of good and evil, truth and God. Beyond Good and Evil demonstrates that the world is steeped in false piety and infected with a 'slave morality'. With wit and subversive energy, Nietzsche demands that the individual impose their own 'will to power' upon the world.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Barack Obama’s lucid vision of America’s place in the world and call for a new kind of politics that builds upon our shared understandings as Americans, based on his years in the Senate
 
“In our lowdown, dispiriting era, Obama’s talent for proposing humane, sensible solutions with uplifting, elegant prose does fill one with hope.”—Michael...

In his thirtieth year Zarathustra, the archetypal "Ubermensch" representative of the highest passion and creativity, abandons his home for the mountains, where he lives on a level of experience far above the conventional standards of good and evil.

"Could it be possible? This old saint in the forest hath not yet heard of it, that God is dead!" The ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from a life of solitude on the mountain to announce to the world that God has been supplanted by the "Superman", the divine in human form. In one of the most radical and influential works of modern philosophy, Friedrich Nietzsche lays out the new standards of morality after the "death of God". Frequently...

A groundbreaking work that explores the fundamental relationship between education and democracy. In this influential book, Dewey presents his philosophy of education, emphasizing the importance of education in fostering democratic ideals and active participation in a democratic society. The book begins by highlighting the essential role of education in the development of individuals as active, engaged citizens. Dewey argues that education should...

Traditional areas of civic agreement are vanishing. We can't agree on what makes America special. We can't even agree that America is special. We're coming to the point that we can't even agree what the word America itself means. "Disintegrationists" say we're stronger together, but their assault on America's history, philosophy, and culture will only tear us apart. Who are the disintegrationists? From Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United...

Written in the 12th century in Arabic by a faithful Jewish man, "The Guide for the Perplexed" is a work that explores the contradiction a very intelligent mind clearly saw between the tradition in which he was raised to believe and the growing philosophy of Arabian and Western culture. In Maimonides' time, there was an emerging disparity between the Law and a new level of philosophical sophistication, which he attempts to bridge in this work, primarily...

"Dr. Stephen Hawking was the most renowned scientist since Einstein, known both for his groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology and for his mischievous sense of humor. He educated millions of readers about the origins of the universe and the nature of black holes, and inspired millions more by defying a terrifying early prognosis of ALS, which originally gave him only two years to live. In later life he could communicate only by using a few facial...

Presents evidence to suggest that there are two powerful forces at work in human history, "the logic of modern science" and "the struggle for recognition."