Series: Penguin Great Ideas

In The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus delves deeply into the human condition, orienting his philosophical exploration around the timeless myth of Sisyphus, a man condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a mountain only to watch it roll back down, endlessly repeating this futile task. Through this allegory, Camus examines the absurd nature of human existence, highlighting...

Seneca’s On the Shortness of Life is a classical masterpiece that delves into the age-old human concern of time and mortality. Written as letters and discourses to his friend Paulinus, Seneca reflects on how people squander their time in the pursuits of ambition, trivial pleasures, and material gains. Through eloquent and impassioned prose, Seneca urges us to embrace a more...

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked, and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals, and visionaries whose ideas shook civilisation and helped make...

Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen. How can we cope when life's events seem beyond our control? These words of consolation and inspiration from the three great Stoic philosophers—Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius—offer ancient wisdom on how to face life's adversities and live well in the world. GREAT...

In God is Dead. God Remains Dead. And We Have Killed Him., renowned philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche explores profound and controversial themes central to the existential movement. The work is a searing critique of religion, morality, and the profound shift in human consciousness that ensues with the death of God. Nietzsche posits a world where traditional beliefs are no longer tenable,...

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked, and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals, and visionaries whose ideas shook civilisation, and...

What Is Existentialism? by Simone de Beauvoir provides a profound exploration into the philosophical realm of existentialism, encouraging readers to examine the nature of existence and human freedom. Through meticulous essays and thought-provoking discourse, de Beauvoir delves into the intricacies of how we perceive and interact with the world. The book challenges readers to consider the inherent meaninglessness of life...

Being Happy by Epicurus is a timeless collection that delves into the profound teachings of one of the most influential philosophers of antiquity. Epicurus, the father of Epicureanism, presents his thoughts on the nature of happiness, the methods to achieve it, and the role of philosophy as a therapeutic tool. Through his exploration of these themes, Epicurus highlights the importance...

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu is a profound and timeless work that has been revered for centuries as one of the foundational texts of Chinese philosophy and religion. This ancient wisdom, beautifully simple yet deeply profound, provides a guide for living a virtuous life. Through its 81 enigmatic verses, Lao Tzu offers insights into the nature of existence, the...

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilisation and...

The Freedom to Be Free by Hannah Arendt is a compelling compilation of three thought-provoking essays. The book delves deep into the essence of freedom and its intrinsic connection to politics. Arendt, one of the most influential political philosophers of the twentieth century, presents a stirring argument that true freedom can only be achieved within the realm of political life,...

I have relinquished all that ties me to the world, but the one thing that still haunts me is the beauty of the sky. These simple, inspiring writings by three medieval Buddhist monks offer peace and wisdom amid the world's uncertainties, and are an invitation to relinquish earthly desires and instead taste life in the moment. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history,...

One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer: 'One swallow does not make a summer; neither does one day. Similarly neither can one day, or a brief space of time, make a man blessed and happy.' How can one live well in the world? What does it mean to be happy? In this selection from The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle probes the...

A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart states that 'far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love one's enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival.' Advocating love as strength and non-violence as the most powerful weapon there is, these sermons and writings from the heart of the civil rights movement exhibit Martin Luther...

We live within a spectacle of empty clothes and unworn masks. In this series of remarkable pieces from across his career, John Berger celebrates and dissects the close links between art and society and the individual. Few writers give a more vivid and moving sense of how we make art and how art makes us. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some...

Blending intellectual speculation with anecdote and personal reflection, the Renaissance thinker and writer Montaigne pioneered the modern essay. This selection contains his idiosyncratic and timeless writings on subjects as varied as the virtues of solitude, the power of the imagination, the pleasures of reading, the importance of sleep and why we sometimes laugh and cry at the same things. Throughout...

Everywhere you will find that the wealth of the wealthy springs from the poverty of the poor. Peter Kropotkin's anarchist texts had a fundamental impact on 19th and 20th century radicals of all kinds. These essays from The Conquest of Bread are bravura examples of his optimistic and angry vision of a world in which the just actions of the...

Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life The Decay of Lying includes two of Wilde's most comprehensive—and witty—explorations of his aesthetic philosophy: The Decay of Lying and The Critic as Artist. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and...

Originally published anonymously, Nature was the first modern essay to recommend the appreciation of the outdoors as an all-encompassing positive force. Emerson's writings were recognised as uniquely American in style and content, and launched the idea of going for a walk as a new way of looking at the world. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have...

Utopia by Thomas More presents a fantastical picture of a distant island where society is perfected and people live in harmony. Yet, its title means 'no place', and More's hugely influential work was ultimately an attack on his own corrupt, dangerous times, and on the failings of humanity. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the...

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked, and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals, and visionaries whose ideas shook civilisation and...

Women so empowered are dangerous. Written with a 'black woman's anger' and the precision of a poet, these searing pieces by the groundbreaking writer Audre Lorde are a celebration of female strength and solidarity, and a cry to speak out against those who seek to silence anyone they see as 'other'. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the...

We women are roused. Now that we are roused, we will never be quiet again. Bringing together the voices of women who fought for equal rights and representation—from aristocrats and actresses to mill workers and trade unionists—these speeches, pamphlets, letters and articles form an inspiring testament to the power of a movement. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed...

So the only question is - do animals other than man suffer? One of the great moral philosophers of the modern age, Peter Singer asks unflinching questions about how we should live our lives. The ideas collected in these writings, arguing that human tyranny over animals is a wrong comparable to racism and sexism, triggered the animal rights movement and...

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war, and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked, and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals, and visionaries whose ideas shook civilisation and...

"If our book consumption remains as low as it has been, at least let us admit that it is because reading is a less exciting pastime than going to the dogs, the pictures or the pub" — George Orwell. Beginning with a dilemma about whether he spends more money on reading or smoking, George Orwell's entertaining and uncompromising essays in...

Reflections on the Guillotine, a profound essay by philosopher and writer Albert Camus, delves into the heart of the moral and ethical implications of the death penalty. The narrative confronts the brutal reality of execution in a deeply personal and philosophical exploration, revealing the psychological torment faced by both the condemned and those who administer capital punishment. Through detailed arguments...

Man Alone with Himself by Friedrich Nietzsche is a compelling exploration into the human psyche and the intricacies of individualism. This profound work is formatted as a collection of incisive aphorisms that delve into the many facets of human existence, touching on themes from art and arrogance to boredom and passion, and from science to vanity. Nietzsche challenges the reader...

Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism by Vladimir Lenin is a hugely significant Marxist text that fully explains the inevitable flaws and destructive power of Capitalism. Lenin argues that Capitalism would unavoidably lead to imperialism, monopolies, and colonialism. He prophesied that third-world countries, used merely as capitalist labour, would have no choice but to join the Communist revolution in Russia....

I am a woman's rights. I have ploughed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that? I am as strong as any man that is now A former slave and one of the most powerful orators of her time, Sojourner Truth fought for the equal rights of black women throughout her life....

There are certain words which possess, in themselves, when properly used, a virtue which illumines and lifts up towards the good. In these selected writings by Simone Weil—philosopher, activist, mystic—she explores the influence of language employed by the powerful, an individual's rights and responsibilities, and foods of the soul such as liberty, truth, security, and equality. Provocative, eloquent, and deeply...

All books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all time - John Ruskin. John Ruskin overturned Victorian society's ideas about art and architecture, arguing that ancient buildings must be conserved for their deep, mystical links with the past and that creative design is essential—not for financial gain, but to communicate eternal human...

A problem of space first of all, then a problem of order One of the most singular and extravagant imaginations of the twentieth century, the novelist and essayist Georges Perec was a true original who delighted in wordplay, puzzles, taxonomies and seeing the extraordinary in the everyday. In these virtuoso writings about books and language, he discusses different ways of...

'What Japan was she owed to the samurai. They were not only the flower of the nation, but its root as well.' Inazo Nitobe's book, the most influential ever written on Bushido, or the samurai Way of the Warrior, argues that the philosophy of Bushido is the true key to understanding the soul of Japan. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some...

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is a seminal treatise on political philosophy and realpolitik, written in the early 16th century. The book delves into the nature of power, leadership, and governance, offering guidance on how rulers can maintain control over their states and subjects. Machiavelli, drawing on historical examples and his own experiences, provides a candid and sometimes brutal analysis...

When the last fire goes out, time too will be finished Taken from his Collection of Sand, these marvelous essays are not great ideas in themselves but commentaries on great ideas and the physical remains they have left behind them- astonishing objects and human-made places which have encapsulated different senses of wonder and desire. The essays range from fire-temples to...