The "Meditations" of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius are areadable exposition of the system of metaphysics known as stoicism.Stoics maintained that by putting aside great passions, unjustthoughts and indulgence, man could acquire virtue and live at onewith nature.
Rene Descartes(1569-1650),the 'father' of modern philosophy,is without doubt one of the greatest thinkers in history:his genius lies at the core of our contemporary intellectual identity.Breaking with the conventions of his own time and suffering persecution by the Church as a consequence,Descartes in his writings-most of which are philosophical classics-attempted to answer the central questions surrounding the self,God,free-will and knowledge,using the science of thought as opposed to received wisdom based on the tenets of faith.This edition,the most comprehensive one-volume selection of Descartes' works available in English,includes his great essay,Discourse on Method.
Both scholarly and diverting, "Imagining Atlantis" has beenhailed as the most important book ever written about the Atlantislegend and its perennial appeal. 46 illustrations. 5 maps.