On the Shortness of Life: Stoic Principles for Self-Improvement
Summary
De Brevitate Vitae (English: On the Shortness of Life), written sometime around the year 49 AD by Seneca the Younger, discusses many Stoic principles on the nature of time and humanity itself. Enjoy riveting discussions and perspectives on these themes as Seneca delves into your thoughts. You will be fascinated as you explore one of the greatest minds and his perception of how we should perceive time. Many of the truths you will find in this piece are not only timeless, but pertinent to humanity - even to this day. "People are frugal in guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time, they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy."
©2017 Bassett Publishing (P)2017 Bassett Publishing
Up from Slavery
Summary
Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery is his self-reflection that recaptured his younger years as a slave in rural Virginia, his journey through higher education, and his life as a successful, influential statesman. Though he faced numerous hardships including devastating enslavement and surviving the turbulence and devastation of the Civil War, Washington rose to a position of international power and prominence. He became one of the most influential and well-respected African American intellectuals, thought-leaders, and advocates of the 19th century. He went on to advise President Theodore Roosevelt, to establish and become president of the Tuskegee Institute, and to gain notoriety worldwide as an oratory leader. Up from Slavery is a true inspiration and testament to the grit, courage, and wisdom of a man determined to beat all odds.
Public Domain (P)2017 Bassett Publishing
Bacchae
Summary
The Bacchae is concerned with two opposite sides of human nature: the rational and civilized side, which is represented by the character of Pentheus, the king of Thebes, and the instinctive side, which is represented by Dionysus. This side is sensual without analysis, it feels a connection between man and beast, and it is a potential source of divinity and spiritual power. In Euripides' plays the gods represent various human qualities, allowing the audience to grapple with considerations of the human condition. The Bacchae seems to be saying that it is perilous to deny or ignore the human desire for Dionysian experience; those who are open to the experience will find spiritual power, and those who suppress or repress the desire in themselves or others will transform it into a destructive force.
Public Domain (P)2018 Bassett Publishing
Twilight of the Idols
Summary
In Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche criticizes German culture of the day as unsophisticated and nihilistic, and shoots some disapproving arrows at key French, British, and Italian cultural figures who represent similar tendencies. In contrast to all these alleged representatives of cultural "decadence", Nietzsche applauds Caesar, Napoleon, Goethe, Thucydides, and the Sophists as healthier and stronger types. The book states the transvaluation of all values as Nietzsche's final and most important project, and gives a view of antiquity wherein the Romans for once take precedence over the ancient Greeks. The book is divided into 12 sections.
Public Domain (P)2018 Bassett Publishing
The Analects of Confucius
Summary
The Analects is a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries, believed to have been compiled and written by Confucius's followers. Confucius believed that the welfare of a country depended on the moral cultivation of its people, beginning from the nation's leadership. He believed that individuals could begin to cultivate an all-encompassing sense of virtue through ren and that the most basic step to cultivating ren was devotion to one's parents and older siblings. He taught that one's individual desires do not need to be suppressed but that people should be educated to reconcile their desires via rituals and forms of propriety through which people could demonstrate their respect for others and their responsible roles in society.
Public Domain (P)2018 Bassett Publishing