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First published in 1739 to an unenthusiastic British public, Hume's «Treatise» has since been referred to as one of the most significant books in the history of philosophy. Hume, a Scottish philosopher, claimed that he was attempting to discuss moral issues with a methodical reasoning, and proceeded to do so in this foundational text. Divided into three large sections, Hume begins his work with a discussion of human understanding, from the origin of our ideas to how we divide them with space and time, with some interesting observations on skepticism. In the second section, Hume speaks of passions, encompassing a range of human emotions and introducing the effect of free will upon them. Finally, the third section covers a variety of moral ideas, including virtues and justice, promises and obligations, and the effect of politics on human morality. Through this treatise, Hume exhibits a remarkable and creative mind, disciplined and enhanced by a systematic method of reasoning, that has produced a text on moral philosophy that continues to stand the test of time over two hundred years later.

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau writes, «Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.» This statement exemplifies the main idea behind «The Social Contract», in other words that man is essentially free if it weren't for the oppression of political organizations such as government. Rousseau goes on to lay forth the principles that he deems most important for achieving political right amongst people.

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The ancient Greek Philosopher Plato was born around 425 BCE to an aristocratic family. He enjoyed the privilege of being a student of Socrates, but would eventually go on to form his own school, the Academy. Plato, most remembered for his philosophical work «The Republic,» was disciplined in all forms of writing. His dialogues are among the most popular and still studied by students and lovers of philosophy. Plato wrote his dialogues to reflect the wisdom that Socrates had imparted to the students. In fact, while many of Socrates' dialogues with his other students are recorded in Plato's writings, Plato's own voice never appears in any of the dialogues. In «Five Dialogues,» Plato's works «Euthyphro,» «Apology,» «Critico,» «Meno,» and «Phaedo» all feature Socrates speaking to a student or friend who is asking about laws, the virtue of mankind, the purpose of the gods, and death. Each dialogue searches through different facets of philosophy and makes the reader question their own personal beliefs and morals. While there is no underlying storyline, the dialogues follow important moments in Socrates' life, from his trial to his death. He was charged by the government for not believing in the Greek gods and was eventually put to death by having to drink the poison Hemlock. Plato's works strove to record and safeguard his teacher's wisdom for future generations to discover.

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Two late dialogues of Plato designed to be part of a trilogy that the philosopher did not finish, «Timaeus» and «Critias» utilize a few select men to theorize on the natural world and to tell a story of the lost city of Atlantis. «Timaeus» is a treatise, written in Socratic dialogue form in 360 BC, that speculates on the nature of the physical world, the purpose of the universe, properties of the universe, the creation of the world soul, the elements, and the golden ratio. It is followed by the dialogue «Critias,» which tells the tale of the powerful island kingdom of Atlantis. Though the people are the offspring of a god, their human nature begins to corrupt them. They attempt to conquer Athens but fail because of the Athenians' well-ordered society. Just as Zeus begins to decree their punishment, however, the incomplete work comes to an end. Though not extant, this pair of dialogues is clearly the writing of a brilliant mind posing and considering creative ideas.

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Because of the absence of writings by Socrates, we only know of his philosophical beliefs through the writings of his students. Fortunately many of these have survived through to today and provide an excellent primary source for the understanding of this great philosopher. Of all the students' writings none are more comprehensive and informative with regard to Socrates than those of Plato. Contained in this volume are some of the most important of those writings by Plato. In «Euthyphro» we find a dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro, a religious expert, concerning the definition of piety or holiness. This dialogue is important for it examines the injustice of the charge against Socrates of not believing in the gods in whom the city believed. In the «Apology» we find Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates in his defense at his trial. In «Crito» we find a conversation between Socrates and his wealthy friend Crito regarding justice, injustice, and the appropriate response to injustice. In this dialogue we see Socrates refusing Crito's offering to finance his escape from prison on the basis that injustice cannot be solved by further injustice. In «Phaedo» we find a dialogue depicting the death of Socrates. Collectively these works detail the final days of Socrates and provide a profound example of the virtues for which Socrates both lived and died for.

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While Tolstoy may be best remembered as the talented Russian author of such monumentally great works as «War and Peace» and «Anna Karenina», he also wrote prolifically in essay format on various subjects. In this volume Tolstoy turns his attention to the study of aesthetics and art in all its forms. Based on fifteen years of research «What is Art?» is Tolstoy's intellectual exposition into answering the titular question. Rich with criticism for his contemporaries as well as even his own writings, Tolstoy makes the central argument that art should be used as a force for good and betterment of mankind and that art that is borne out of vanity, sexual desire, or some other amoral ambition should be condemned. For Tolstoy, art has a religious significance, which is instrumental to the reader in explaining the philosophy for art that he crafts in this work. As a compelling and interesting examination of the place of art in our society, «What is Art?» is a must read for all artists, written masterfully by one of the greatest writers to ever have lived.

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"The Critique of Practical Reason" is considered by many to be one of the most important works on the subject of moral philosophy ever written. In this work Immanuel Kant puts forth his philosophy of the categorical imperative, a rule for behavior that applies universally. Kant argues that a categorical imperative must guide whatever maxim one establishes for dealing with all decisions with moral implications. «The Critique of Practical Reason» is an excellent work on the philosophy of morality and a seminal work by one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Immanuel Kant.

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A classic work of religious philosophy, «Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion» is David Hume's examination of the nature of God. David Hume's philosophy, empiricism, rests upon the idea that all rational belief must be supported by experiential evidence. It is within the scope of this philosophy that Hume examines the nature of God and asks the question as to whether or not man's belief in God can be supported by experience. This exposition takes place in the guise of a dialogue between three characters who each take different points of view on the subject. «Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion» is an interesting examination of faith from a philosophical perspective and a must read for any student of philosophy or religion.

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As a mathematician, philosopher, logician, historian, socialist, pacifist, and social critic, Bertrand Russell is noted for his “revolt against idealism” in Britain in the early 20th century, as well as his pacifist activism during WWI, a campaign against Adolf Hitler and later the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. In addition to his political activism, he is considered to be one of the founders of analytic philosophy, receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 for his various humanitarian and philosophical works. He wrote his “Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy” in order to elucidate in a less technical way the main ideas of his and N. A. Whitehead’s earlier “Principia Mathematica”. The work focuses on mathematical logic as related to traditional and contemporary philosophy, of which Russell remarks, “logic is the youth of mathematics and mathematics is the manhood of logic.” It is regarded today as a lucid, accessible exploration of the gray area where mathematics and philosophy meet. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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While Tolstoy may be best remembered as the talented Russian author of such monumentally great works as “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina”, he also wrote prolifically in essay format on various subjects. In this volume Tolstoy turns his attention to the study of aesthetics and art in all its forms. Based on fifteen years of research, “What is Art?” is Tolstoy’s intellectual exposition into answering the titular question. Rich with criticism for his contemporaries as well as even his own writings, Tolstoy makes the central argument that art should be used as a force for good and betterment of mankind and that art that is borne out of vanity, sexual desire, or some other amoral ambition should be condemned. For Tolstoy, art has a religious significance, which is instrumental to the reader in explaining the philosophy for art that he crafts in this work. As a compelling and interesting examination of the place of art in our society, “What is Art?” is a must read for all artists, written masterfully by one of the greatest writers to ever have lived. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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