Summary
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true, declared Pascal in his Penseés. The cure for this, he explained, is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is. Motivated by the seventeenth-century view of the supremacy of human reason, Pascal (1623-1662) intended to write an ambitious apologia for Christianity, in which he argued the inability of reason to address metaphysical problems. While Pascal's untimely death prevented his completion of the work, these fragments published posthumously in 1670 as Penseés remain a vital part of religious and philosophical literature. Unabridged republication of the W. F. Trotter translation as published by Random House Inc., the publisher of The Mordern Library, NY 1941. Introduction by Saxe Commins.

Summary
FROM THE PUBLISHER
One of the greatest works of philosophy, political theory, and literature ever produced, Plato’s Republic has shaped Western thought for thousands of years, and remains as relevant today as when it was written during the fourth century B.C.
Republic begins by posing a central question: "What is justice, and why should we be just, especially when the wicked often seem happier and more successful?" For Plato, the answer lies with the ways people, groups, and institutions organize and behave. A brilliant inquiry into the problems of constructing the perfect state, and the roles education, the arts, family, and religion should play in our lives, Republic employs picturesque settings, sharply outlined characters, and conversational dialogue to drive home the philosopher’s often provocative arguments.
It has been said that the entire history of Western philosophy consists of nothing more than "a series of footnotes to Plato." Vastly entertaining, occasionally shocking, and always stimulating, Republic continues to enrich and expand the outlook of all who read it.

Summary
The Great Philosopher of American Way of Life
On the intellectual level, William James's theories of :Pragmatism" and "Empirical Radicalism" have strongly influenced modern American philosophic thought. On the practical level, James's theories systematize the basic beliefs that have governed American behavior since pioneer days.
To James, the moral rightness of man's conduct should be judged in terms of its practical value to him and not by a pre-established standard. In James' own words, the "consequence of such a philosophy is well-known democratic respect for the sacredness of individuality." (from the Introction of the book).

Summary
Book Description
Schopenhauer's Prize Essay is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant and elegant treatments of free will and determinism. He distinguishes the freedom of acting from the freedom of willing, affirming the former while denying the latter. This volume offers the text in a previously unpublished translation by Eric F.J. Payne, the leading twentieth-century translator of Schopenhauer into English, together with a historical and philosophical introduction by GÜnter Zöller.

Summary
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Francis Bacon once wrote, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. . . ." This is a book to be chewed and digested, and these essays make as satisfying a meal today as when the first edition was published in 1597. Indeed, the present-day reader is amply rewarded for the effort of taking in the old-fashioned English and peeking at the back of the volume for translations of the Latin quotations sprinkled liberally throughout.
Most of Bacon's Essays are as relevant as ever; others offer windows into a social order now gone but somehow familiar from its influence on our own. This is a book of moral instruction, a book that distills the wisdom of European civilization, and a book that reminds us that people are people, no matter when they lived. All of this is wrapped in prose showing flashes of brilliance lit by an authorial voice that is authoritative and often kind.

Summary
Timeless Wisdom, November 30, 2003
Reviewer: R. J Marsella (Bell Canyon, Ca USA)
Emerson may well be the greatest man of letters America has yet produced. His vision of human nature and man's place in the universe contains as much truth today as when it was written. This selection is a solid representation of his thought and writings and can be read again and again for pleasure and for profit. Emerson is one of those rare lights that every thinking person should be exposed to. Read this or buy it for a student that you really care about.

Summary
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"The only complete edition in English of Baruch Spinoza's works, this volume features Samuel Shirley's preeminent translations, distinguished at once by the lucidity and fluency with which they convey the flavor and meaning of Spinoza's original texts." Michael L. Morgan provides a general introduction that places Spinoza in Western philosophy and culture and sketches the philosophical, scientific, religious, moral, and political dimensions of Spinoza's thought. Morgan's brief introductions to each work give a succinct historical, biographical, and philosophical overview. A chronology and index are included.

Summary
"There is a sublime serenity that shines through Emerson's features. That kind, gentle, undersatanding smile is the smile of strong soul at home in the world. He welcomed the new thought, the new achievement, the new man with avidity. He was always ready to scrap the past for the future.
"The comimg only is sacred," he said, "no truth is so sublime but may be trivial tomorrow in the light of new thoughts. I unsettle all things. No facts are to me sacred; none are prophane; I experiment, an endless seeker with no Past at my back." (from Foreword of the book)

Summary
"The Dialogues of Plato" are the fruits of a rare mind - perenially fresh because his genius was not for his age alone, but threaded its thoughts through the thinking of all time after him. (from front flap of the book).

Summary
A reviewer, October 9, 2002,
This is the best, most scholarly translation of Hegel's Encyclopaedia Logic available. Gereats, Suchting and Harris faithfully translate Hegel's text as transparently as possible, by which I mean that they try to make themselves as invisible as possible. They do this by explaining their choices of certain English words in two fantastic introductions, and by translating Hegel's technical terms with the same English words throughout the book as much as possible. They also provide a glossary which indicates which English words were used for many of Hegel's technical concepts. A first-rate, scholarly translation. Avoid the other translation by Wallace.