Records the Italian statesman's classic statement on the nature of government and the means by which political power is obtained.

One of the middle or transitional dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, "Gorgias" depicts a dinner gathering attended by Socrates and a group of sophists. Gorgias, a foreigner, has been drawn to Athens by its cultural and intellectual sophistication. In this dialogue Plato contrasts Gorgias, the rhetorician, with Socrates, the philosopher, whose differing specialties are persuasion and refutation, respectively. As Plato delves into arguments...

"Religion lies at the heart of the human experience. The great faiths-- Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism-- together may account for up to six billion of the world's nearly seven billion people. For all the differences between their beliefs-- or between them and followers of Japanese Shinto or animistic faiths in Africa-- these adherents seek the same fulfilment [sic] from their religious experience: a feeling of connection with...

"The author of Living the Secular Life deconstructs the arguments for a morality informed by religion, urging that major challenges like global warming and growing inequality are best approached from a framework of secular morality /In What It Means To Be Moral: Why Religion is Not Necessary for Living An Ethical Life, Phil Zuckerman argues that morality does not come from God. Rather, it comes from us: our brains, our evolutionary past, our ongoing...

Popular Harvard professor Michael Sandel offers a searching, lyrical exploration of the meaning of justice that considers familiar controversies such as affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, patriotism and dissent, and the moral limits of markets in fresh and illuminating ways.

With liberal democracy embattled, public discourse grown toxic, family life breaking down, and drug abuse and depression on the rise, many fear what the future holds. In Morality, respected faith leader and public intellectual Jonathan Sacks traces today's crisis to our loss of a strong, shared moral code and our elevation of self-interest over the common good. We have outsourced morality to the market and the state, but neither is capable of showing...

Diverse and sometimes controversial essays that redefine the concept of stewardship by exploring the fine line between interacting and interfering with nature.

"Do you know that praise is essential to the growth of a healthy brain? That experiences of praise and blame affect how long we live? That the conscious and unconscious judgments we engage in every day began as a crucial survival technique? Do you think people shouldn't be judgmental? But, how judgmental are you, and how does this impact your relationships? [The author] reveals how everyday judgments impact our relationships, and how praise,...