From Shakespeare to Beckett, the contradictory figure of the fool who possesses unexpected wisdom has been a popular and effective literary trope and rhetorical figure for centuries. Philosophy needs idiots too, argues Keson Sutherland in "Stupefacti...

French cultural theorist and urbanist Paul Virilio is best known for his writings on media, technology, and architecture. Gathered here in "A Winter's Journey" are four remarkable conversations in which Virilio and architectural writer Marianne Braus...

What can a fingernail tell us about the mysteries of creation? In one sense, a nail is merely a hunk of mute matter, yet in another, it's an information superhighway quite literally at our fingertips. Every moment, streams of molecular signals direct...

In this ambitious book, acclaimed writer Marilynne Robinson applies her astute intellect to some of the most vexing topics in the history of human thought – science, religion, and consciousness. Crafted with the same care and insight as her award-win...

Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) was one of the greatest philosophers of our era. He was also at the center of some of the century's darkest, most complex historical events, for he chose to remain in his native Germany in the 1930s, neither supporting...

This translation of Nietzsche's early "Unzeitgemasse Betrachtungen" consists of four long essays and notes for a fifth. Nietzsche planned these works as part of an extremely ambitious critique of German culture. Although the project was never complet...

In this smart and timely book, the distinguished moral philosopher Sissela Bok ponders the nature of happiness and its place in philosophical thinking and writing throughout the ages. With nuance and elegance, Bok explores notions of happiness – from...

In his award-winning book "The Philosophy of Edmund Husserl: A Historical Development", J. N. Mohanty charted Husserl's philosophical development from the young man's earliest studies – informed by his work as a mathematician – to the publication of...

In the most comprehensive examination to date of Heidegger's "Nazism", Emmanuel Faye draws on previously unavailable materials to paint a damning picture of Nazism's influence on the philosopher's thought and politics. In this provocative book, Faye...

Heightened awareness of the problem of sexual abuse has led to deep anxiety over adults touching children – in nearly any context. Though our society has moved toward increasingly strict enforcement of this taboo, studies have shown that young childr...