An adventuresome, ethereal being (Link) discovers Earth and the concept of the physical during his explorations of other worlds from his non-physical realm, Altura. Link gets fascinated with Earth and makes regular visits to this planet. But because he is formless, he can observe but cannot truly experience what it is to be physical. He wants to have this experience. That desire grows, and eventually he chooses to trade his non-physical state to become human. He enters the physical under a...

The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals or Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (German: Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten, 1785), Immanuel Kant's first contribution to moral philosophy, argues for an a priori basis for morality. Where the Critique of Pure Reason laid out Kant's metaphysical and epistemological ideas, this relatively short, primarily meta-ethical, work was intended to outline and define the concepts and arguments shaping his future work The Metaphysics of Moral...

Theosophy is an ecumenical faith tradition that regards all religions as striving toward the same shared purpose of engendering love, cooperation, unity, and fellow-feeling among all of the world's cultures. A Textbook of Theosophy offers a comprehensive introduction to theosophical thought and practice; it's perfect for beginners just getting acquainted with this school of thought or long-time adherents seeking new insights.

The first-ever collection of writings by Christian D. Larson, author of the famous “Optimist Creed” and one of the twentieth-century’s pioneers of motivational thought.Contemporary research has shown that optimistic people experience longer and healthier lives, better relationships, and higher incomes. Generations before such findings, however, inspirational writer Christian D. Larson showed an amazing grasp of the life-changing power of gratitude and optimism. Tod...

Every civilization relies heavily on the occasional spark of genius from the few who claim their heritage. Even then, they are considered freaks of nature in our scientific society.Genius is not a result of environmental accidents or genetic mutations. Nor is it bestowed to a chosen few. Genius is a frequency of mind and body that permeates all space and matter.Thus, like any frequency, it can be "tuned" into, resonated with, and utilized by the proper methods. This book ex...

Schopenhauer is the most readable of German philosophers. This book gives a succinct explanation of his metaphysical system, concentrating on the original aspects of his thought, which inspired many artists and thinkers including Nietzsche, Wagner, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer's central notion is that of the will - a blind, irrational force that he uses to interpret both the human mind and the whole of nature. Seeing human behaviour as that of a natural organism governed by the wi...

Yogacara is an influential school of Buddhist philosophy and psychology that stems from the early Indian Mahayana Buddhist tradition. The Yogacara view is based on the fundamental truth that there is nothing in the realm of human experience that is not interpreted by and dependent upon the mind.Yogacara Buddhism was unable to sustain the same level of popularity as other Buddhist schools in India, Tibet, and East Asia, but its teachings on the nature of consciousness profoundly imp...

For those wondering how they came to be, why there's something rather than nothing and why an infinite number of birds would have to be Brazilian birds, ex-priest Frånk Non's opus, "Am: A Hare-brained Assault on the Godhead from the Portals of Existence to the Foothills of Infinity," offers theories for everything... and for NOTHING.Biting the hand that once fed him, self-excommunicated, newfound atheist Non tempts thunderbolts and fatwas with this damning appraisa...

Jean Grondin completes the first history of metaphysics and respects both the analytical and the Continental schools while transcending the theoretical limitations of each. He reviews seminal texts by Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Augustine. He follows the theological turn in the metaphysical thought of Avicenna, Anselm, Aquinas, and Duns Scotus, and he revisits Descartes and the cogito; Spinoza and Leibniz's rationalist approaches; Kant's reclaiming of the metaphysical tradi...

We typically think we have free will. But how could we have free will, if for anything we do, it was already true in the distant past that we would do that thing? Or how could we have free will, if God already knows in advance all the details of our lives? Such issues raise the specter of "fatalism". This book collects sixteen previously published articles on fatalism, truths about the future, and the relationship between divine foreknowledge and human freedom, and includes a substantial i...

Metaphysics: The Fundamentals presents readers with a systematic, comprehensive introductory overview of modern analytic metaphysics.Presents an accessible, up-to-date and broad-ranging survey of one of the most dynamic and often daunting sub-fields in contemporary philosophyIntroduces readers to the seminal works of contemporary and historic philosophers, including Descartes, Leibniz, Russell, David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John...

Peter van Inwagen, author of the classic book An Essay on Free Will (1983), has established himself over the last forty years as a leading figure in the philosophical debate about the problem of free will. This volume presents eleven influential essays from throughout his career, as well as two new and previously unpublished essays, 'The Problem of Fr** W*ll' and 'Ability'. The essays include discussions of determinism, moral responsibility, 'Frankfurt counterexamples', the meaning of 'the...