Series: How to Read

Though Wittgenstein wrote on the same subjects that dominate the work of other analytic philosophers – the nature of logic, the limits of language, the analysis of meaning – he did so in a peculiarly poetic style that separates his work sharply from that of his peers and makes the question of how to read him particularly pertinent. At the...

Heidegger is perhaps the most influential, yet least readily understood, philosopher of the last century. Wrathall pays particular attention to Heidegger's revolutionary analysis of human existence as inextricably shaped by a shared world. This leads to an exploration of his views on the banality of public life, and the possibility of authentic anticipation of death as a response to that...

'Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.' - David Hume David Hume is generally recognised as the UK's greatest philosopher, as well as a notable historian and essayist, and a central figure of the Enlightenment. Yet his work is delicately poised between scepticism and naturalism, between despair at the limited powers of the mind and...

'Men are infamous and detestable who are destroyers of religion, squanderers of kingdoms and republics, and enemies of the virtues.' Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) is one of the most influential modern political thinkers. His works are still passionately discussed in the intellectual community and continue to generate new visions of political action. Against the trite commonplace that Machiavelli was a teacher...

Over 2,000 years of settlement give London its unique architectural heritage. Private enterprise shaped it and defined its parts: elegant West End squares may hallmark the classical townscape, but medieval, Tudor, and Victorian enclaves identified by occupation or class make their own statement, notably in the City and East End. How to Read London reveals how London's domestic, civic, and...

Slavoj Zizek's passionate defence of Lacan reasserts the ethical urgency of psychoanalysis. Traditionally, psychoanalysis was expected to allow the patient to overcome the obstacles which prevented access to 'normal' sexual enjoyment; today, however, we are bombarded from all sides by different versions of the injunction 'Enjoy!' Lacan reminds us that psychoanalysis is the only discourse in which you are allowed...