Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Nonfiction, Philosophy

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Title: The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

Author: Henry Louis Mencken

Narrator: Charlton Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-15-09

Publisher: Audio Connoisseur

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 76 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

In this fine and clearly written combination of biography and analysis, famed Baltimore writer H. L. Mencken manages to distill the life and philosophy of Nietzsche so that any layman can become acquainted with this odd German philosopher. And odd he most certainly was. Born into a family of Polish extraction, Nietzsche was never completely comfortable in the smug, religiously conservative bourgeoise German society he grew up in. Rebellion quickly followed manhood. Brilliant from the outset, Nietzsche soon made his mark with "Human, all too Human". He never looked back. First published in 1908, Mencken's critical work has been a valuable reference to the life and work of Nietzsche ever since. Many persons will find the demeaning references to women and minorities reprehensible, as they are. But it is important to keep in mind that Mencken's attitudes were typical for most Americans of his day. But the patient listener will, in the end, be rewarded by a much fuller and more rounded understanding of a philosopher some still consider to have been insane.

Members Reviews:

Interesting introduction to Mencken

Mencken deserves credit for having written a book on Nietzsche at a time (1908) when almost nothing was available to English readers in translation. As an introduction to Nietzsche, however, this book is not very credible; it relies heavily on the distortions perpetuated by his sister, and does not really get into the works that more recent readers of Nietzsche treasure (The Genealogy of Morals, "The Uses and Abuses of History"). The person who's never read Mencken before (like me) will find the book valuable as a reflection of post-Victorian America, where Social Darwinism and outright racism abounded, both of which are to be found in Mencken's account. Charlton Griffin channels Mencken pretty well, embellishing the prose with oratorical and sarcastic flourishes that will definitely annoy some listeners and please others. All in all, there's not much Nietzsche to be found here, so I guess you have to take what you can get.

strenuous

Charlton Griffin's narration is an over-the-top, guttural manly man's interpretation of both Mencken's crass plain dealing and Nietzsche's booming iconoclasm. The voice seems suitable for cowboy poetry, or History Channel nostalgia. For a book of philosophy, the effect accentuates the cheap melodrama in both the author and the philosopher, like a Wagnerian opera performed by a high school marching band. I can live with it, but it's a little silly.

As for the content: Mencken does not offer a nuanced reading of Nietzsche's ideas... maybe he's right, but he does have a remarkable ability of sucking the fun out of this philosopher. This book, Dionysus and philosophy by way of Baltimore, is of value to either Mencken or Nietzsche scholarship. It is not a fruitful introduction for the curious to either thinker.

Fantastic book@

H. L. Mencken has succinctly summed up the philosophy of one of the greatest thinkers of this world.

Totally missed the point

Awful. He doesn't understand Nietzsche's philosophy at all.

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Title: Meditations on First Philosophy

Subtitle: With Selections from the Objections and Repiles

Author: Rene Descartes

Narrator: Paul Hecht

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-31-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

A landmark in the history of thought, Rene Descartes' Meditations helped bring critical thinking and skepticism to the Western world. Modern philosophers are still captivated by Descartes' radical and controversial departure from his previous beliefs, which has both inspired reverence and provoked anger.

©2008 Michael Moriarty; (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

Members Reviews:

Important, though not well read.

Descartes' Meditations are probably one of the more important philosophical reads a student should work through. Though this book takes the listener through them (all six)...unless you're really into learning, or being exposed to this work...Paul Hecht just doesn't do it justice.

headings aren't optional?

descarte arguments are flawed and his replies to the objections unsatisfactory. none the less this work is important and the reading is good.

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Title: Descartes' Bones

Subtitle: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason

Author: Russell Shorto

Narrator: Paul Hecht

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-06-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 221 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

In this book Shorto brilliantly shows how this argument first started with Descartes and how his ideas (and bones) have remained central to this theoretical struggle for over 350 years.

On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, Frenchman Rene Descartes, the most influential and controversial thinker of his time, was buried after a cold and lonely deathfar from home. Sixteen years later, the pious French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France. Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about the remains of a philosopher who washounded from country after country on charges of atheism? Why would Descartes' bones take such a strange, serpentine path over the next 350 years - a path intersecting some of the grandest events imaginable: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, the mind-body problem, the conflict between faith and reason?

The answer lies in Descartes' famous phrase: cogito ergo sum. "I think therefore I am." This quote from his work Discourse on the Method, destroyed 2,000 years of received wisdom by introducing an attitude of human skepticism towards ideas of medicine,nature, politics and society. The notion that one could look to provable facts, and not rely on the Church's teachings and tradition, was one of the most influential ideas in human history, ultimately creating the scientific method and overthrowing religion asprevailing truth.

Descartes' Bones is a fascinating narrative - both macro and micro history in one - that twists and turns up to the present day.

Members Reviews:

Philosophy of Modernity

This is an engaging account of history and science, but at heart it's a work of philosophy. Shorto calls Descartes the "father of modernity". He starts by asking the question what it means to be modern, and spends most of the book developing his answer. The title "father of modernity" is for pioneering the separation of science from religion--in establishing experience and observations as valid bases for making conclusions about reality, separate and apart from wisdom received from either the Bible or the Scholastics.

Yet Descartes was very religious, and he tried to create a separate sphere for it in the mind/body dualism. Shorto characterizes much of Western history since Descartes as various attempts to find balance between the secular and spiritual worlds both individually and socially.

Despite the West's more than 350 years' experience trying to find such a balance, we are still searching, and we still have extremists who believe no such balance is possible. Other cultures, particularly the Muslim world, have not had that experience--have not even begun the search. Shorto believes that the Muslim world's lack of such a search is at the root of much of the West's difficulty dealing with Islamic extremism.

At the individual level, Shorto reaches the same conclusion as did Descartes: that the connection between the secular and spiritual--how mind and body relate--what makes each of us unique--what might even be called the soul--is the heart, also known as passion and emotions.

Shorto does a good job posing questions and challenges and using Descartes' bones for historical illustrations.

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Title: The Modern Scholar

Subtitle: Visions of Utopia: Philosophy and the Perfect Society

Author: Fred E. Baumann

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

Professor Fred E. Baumann looks at what some philosophers have had to say on this subject, mostly in the form of stories about utopias. Five are written by great philosophers and the last by a challenging, nearly contemporary American scholar. All have exerted great influence on the history of thought or have expressed influential currents of thought. Professor Baumann's lectures not only examine these texts, but also address the results of attempting to put these utopias into practice.

Members Reviews:

Provocative and stimulating, albeit conservative

This is the most engaging and provocative entry in the "Modern Scholar" series. Despite the huge differences that divide my view of politics from Baumann's (I consider myself much more left-leaning), I was challenged by his strong arguments, which are very difficult to refute. He is particularly harsh on Rousseau and Marx, and you can feel a conservative animus driving his critique of Rousseau in particular (his stunning advice about how to read Rousseau at the end of the last lecture about him is much worthier than the critiques that precede it). But it's an animus, not a bias; he's passionate about the material, and communicates his sense of the stakes with piquancy and concision. He gives all the thinkers under consideration their due, without using the occasion as a personal soapbox. He even has some memorable one-liners. And that's everything that one could ask for from a professor.

N.B. You can probably tell from my review that the title of Baumann's course is misleading. This course isn't about the question of human perfectability, let alone about utopian literature. It's about some classic theorists' attempts to eliminate the contingency of politics and the (mostly disastrous) efforts that result.

Excellent Coverage of an Ever-Relevant Topic

Whether or not most people are consciously aware, the idea of perfectibility or lack thereof in human life is a moving force in most politics and philosophical study. It also affects most of us in our daily lives.

These lectures are an excellent overview of the history of Utopian philosophies and societies, with the lecturer offering a good survey of the relevant materials, recommendations about further reading, and interesting discussion and conclusions.

The lecturer is extremely conscientious about presenting his own opinions separately from the facts, and he is very careful to point out when his scholarly opinions are less widespread than other scholars' views. This is all as it should be.

Based on the criticism of some reviews, I must conclude the reviewers may lack experience with the structure of actual college courses. Professor Baumann does a superb job presenting a broad overview of the material, which is extremely difficult to do in an introductory survey course. Naturally, he discusses many other relevant materials that the reader may choose to study-- but he does not assume the reader has done or will do so.

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Title: The Power of Shame

Author: Robert Bly

Narrator: Michael Toms

Format: Original Recording

Length: 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-08

Publisher: New Dimensions Foundation

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 53 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

Poet, translator and teacher, Bly is the author of many books including Light Around the Body (Harper & Row 1967), Loving a Woman In Two Worlds (Dial 1985), Man In the Black Coat Turns (Harper & Row 1982), The Winged Energy of Delight: Selected Translations (Harper Perenniel 2005), My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy: Poems (Harper Perennial 2006). He is also author of Iron John (Addison-Wesley 1990) and The Sibling Society (Addison-Wesley 1996).

Members Reviews:

Difficult to understand

What would have made The Power of Shame better?

The reader speaks fast and is challenging at times to understand. This is a metaphysical view of "shame" and not along the lines of Bradshaw, et. al. Wouldn't recommend as a self help book, but more as an entertaining definition of word "shame," and how it affects so many of us in today's Western society.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Challenging to understand.

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Title: 10 Books That Screwed Up the World

Subtitle: And 5 Others That Didn't Help

Author: Benjamin Wiker

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 255 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

From Machiavelli's The Prince to Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto to Alfred Kinsey's Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, these "influential" books have led to war, genocide, totalitarian oppression, family breakdown, and disastrous social experiments. And yet these authors' bad ideas are still popular and pervasive; in fact, they might influence your own thinking without your realizing it.

Here with the antidote is Professor Benjamin Wiker. In this scintillating new book, he seizes each of these evil books by its malignant heart and exposes it to the light of day. You'll learn:

Members Reviews:

Some merit, but more religious masquerade

I will openly admit that I wanted to kick myself for not reading the reviews prior to purchasing this audiobook. All the reviews would have kept me from stepping directly into the trap of this book, which in part, must have been deliberately set. The titles and book synopsis do not disclose the blatant reduction of nearly each criticism to a Christian fundamentalist viewpoint, which should be OPENLY DISCLOSED. The book was well written, flowed well and was interesting with each chapter until the abrupt drop into a religious sermon. What was disappointing was that the author, who is obviously intelligent and a good writer, describes some valid criticisms and makes some arguments that keep you just interested enough that you think, "well, maybe the next chapter will be better." I can only hope to save another person some time, as others in the review section tried to do for me. The single biggest statement that can be said about the reviews of this book is that you can be rest assured that anyone who gave it 5 stars and "bought extra copies for _____" is an individual with strong Christian fundamental beliefs...which should divulge this book's blatant bias. I have submitted a request to Audible that this book be moved to the religious section, as keeping it in nonfiction is misleading. I'm sure that if you purchase this book KNOWING it is a theologic book, you will enjoy it immensely and you will be glad you spent the money. 4.5 stars for the writing & text, but ZERO for the fact that it is a religious book masquerading as non-fiction literature.

Egotistical Rant By A Very Poor Academic

I feel like I've been hoodwinked into buying this book! It is not a proper critique on the books in question at all. It is just a Fundamentalist Christian diatribe on why we should ignore anything that an atheist tells us.

Simply Excellent

A head on confrontation with several poisonous ideas presented in a level, reasoned and unpretentious manner. Ideas have consequences and this book shows the reader how some of the worst ideas have had a lasting and profound impact on our society. The narrator does the work justice and it was a truly enjoyable presentation. One of the best I've heard in a long time. Well done.

An Exercise in Philosophical Hypocricy

Let's get the easy part of this out of the way first. The pacing and presentation of the material is outstanding, along with the narration, which perfectly fits with the tones of intellectual superiority with which the author writes.

The author actually starts quite strong, with some reasonably well presented chapters on Machiavelli through Hobbes.

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Titre: Kant

Sous-titre: L'œuvre philosophique expliquée

Auteur: Luc Ferry

Narrateur: Luc Ferry

Format: Original Recording

Durée: 4 hrs and 47 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 09-15-08

Éditeur: Frémeaux & Associés

Evaluation: 5 sur 5 sur 6 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Luc Ferry, en spécialiste et traducteur de Kant, nous offre une présentation extraordinairement claire et vivante des trois œuvres majeures du philosophe allemand - ses trois "critiques", sommets de la pensée mondiale. Avec un rare sens pédagogique, il parvient à en rendre évidentes les idées, l'originalité, mais aussi l'étonnante actualité.

Après une introduction générale à la philosophie kantienne, Luc Ferry nous fait découvrir, dans ce qu'elles ont de plus décisif, la Critique de la raison pratique, la Critique de la faculté de juger et enfin la Critique de la raison pure, œuvres monumentales de ce penseur phare de la fin du XVIIIe siècle, contemporain de la Révolution française.

, comme tous les philosophes est d'abord un professeur de philosophie. En effet, philosopher au XXIe siècle n'a de sens qu'en prenant en compte l'histoire de cette discipline qui transforme tous les penseurs en héritiers. Luc Ferry propose pour la première fois des cours dans une langue simple, permettant en 3 à 4 heures d'accéder à une approche des idées d'un grand philosophe et les clés essentielles pour pouvoir ensuite aborder son oeuvre."

Patrick Frémeaux

(p) & © 2008 Frémeaux & Associés - Groupe frémeaux Colombini SAS

Revues par les critiques:

La presse en parle

"Aux mirages ou aux excès de la philo facile, Luc Ferry propose ici la pratique d'une discipline de longue durée. L'exercice est d'abord austère, mais il n'est ni insurmontable ni dépourvu de satisfaction. Pour comprendre ce que signifie la pensée philosophique, une vague intuition ne suffit pas. Il faut entrer, patiemment, au moins une fois, dans le dédale d'une grande œuvre ."

Roger-Pol Droit, Le Point

"L'œuvre de Kant a véritablement fondé notre pensée moderne. C'est avec plaisir qu'à l'occasion de ce cours, j'ai retrouvé toute la pédagogie et la profondeur de l'analyse de Luc Ferry."

Michel Barnier, Ministre du gouvernement

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Title: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Subtitle: An Introduction

Author: Hugh Griffith, Tom Griffith

Narrator: Crawford Logan

Format: Abridged

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-07

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 43 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

The philosophy of Ancient Greece provides the background of Western ethical thought and politics. In this approachable introduction, Hugh Griffith, a leading translator of Plato, covers the main ground from the Pre-Socratics through Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, and the Epicureans.

Members Reviews:

Superb invitation to clear thinking

Any additional comments?

This is a superb overview of Greek philosophy. What makes this audiobook truly outstanding is the narrator, who is clear and easy to listen to, and also the wealth of selections from the Greek philosophers themselves.

If you want to start thinking with more clarity and living with greater wisdom this is a great place to start!

A very good listening

A very enjoyable read. Excellent narration - I felt like i was in a classroom with the philosophers teaching.

The part on aristotle was especially enjoyable.

I was browsing some other readings by the Griffith brothers. I believe they'll be on my wish list.

Well worth

I am a recent student of Philosophy and have been looking for means of gaining more context of the subject. My classes tend to be very specific, which has its merit for sure, but without an overall sense of place, building a philosophical roadmap is difficult, if not impossible. This book and others like it have helped.

The voice acting is great! I wish this team did all of Plato`s dialogues. Socrates' speeches from the Phaedo were a personal favorite. Though I habe relistened to most of this book, his trial is a chapter I have revisited over and over.

The worst part about this book is that it ends.

A reading of selected works rather than an intrude

What disappointed you about Ancient Greek Philosophy?

It consisted of a selection of reading, with minimal commentary. Probably a ratio of 15 minutes of reading to 1 minute of commentary. The discussion was primarily a list that here were things in historical order.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Probably a review of history.

Which scene was your favorite?

None

What character would you cut from Ancient Greek Philosophy?

N/A

Any additional comments?

Not a very good introduction. Better to listen to some of the other authors.

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Title: Philosophy

Subtitle: Who Needs It

Author: Ayn Rand

Narrator: Lloyd James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-25-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 265 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

This collection of essays was the last work planned by Ayn Rand before her death in 1982. In it, she summarizes her view of philosophy and deals with a broad spectrum of topics. According to Ayn Rand, the choice we make is not whether to have a philosophy, but which one to have: a rational, conscious, and therefore practical one, or a contradictory, unidentified, and ultimately lethal one.

Written with all the clarity and eloquence that have placed Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy in the mainstream of American thought, these essays range over such basic issues as education, morality, censorship, and inflation to prove that philosophy is the fundamental force in all our lives.

Critic Reviews:

"For those who want to understand the philosophic implications of our era, this collection by Ayn Rand is an excellent place to begin." (News-Leader)

"Although this omnibus volume...is written for an audience of believers, readers unfamiliar with [Rand's] novels might find it a useful starting point." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Deep and provocative

This is not light listening. It is best on long trips, as it is difficult to follow some of the deeper arguments if you take it in 20-minute commute segments. It is a great book, actually a collection of essays, but like any philosophy it takes some thinking to follow. Though I cannot say I subscribe to Ms. Rand's views on all things the clearness of her arguments are difficult to refute. Ms. Rand is pretty rough on both the right and the left and points out the hypocrisy in both positions. If you are not willing to examine your political beliefs then stay away as they will be challenged. Finally it should be noted that most of these essays were made in the late 60s and early 70s. Ms. Rand promotes that America is great because of its beliefs, but that it is vulnerable because it does not understand the premises behind those beliefs. I suspect she would look at America today as an opportunity for greatness lost.

Definitely a great book!

This is an excellent book. I just bought it in hard copy as well so that I can read it. Very deep and thought provoking in a way that is constructive. Too often, philosophy is about trying to put together disintegrated units which out of context make absolutely no sense and contradict themselves. This book is for people who want to apply philosophy to the real world, the world of our senses (which is all we really have in the end anyways), and to this life in an integrated fashion for the purpose of actually learning something useful.

This is truly a timeless as well as a timely book. Really applicable for the changes that the world is going through today. A highly recommended listen.

A rational individual needs intellectual ammo

I believe that this is the 4th Ayn Rand book a person should read/hear. 1st is Atlas Shrugged, likely the most important book ever written. Next Capitalism-The Unknown Ideal and The Virtue of Selfish can be read in either order, but Ms Rand does reference the latter in the Capitalism.

I believe that if enough people read all 4 this country could still reach its incredible potential.

Excellent text, awfully sloppy narration

It's clear from the numerous out-of-place pauses, badly pronounced words and expressions and in some cases words changed (!) that the narrator has not taken the time to read and understand the material first.

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Title: The Meaning of Things

Author: A.C. Grayling

Narrator: A.C. Grayling

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-15-06

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

Publisher's Summary:

Thinking about life, what it means and what it holds in store does not have to be a despondent experience, but rather can be enlightening and uplifting. A life truly worth living is one that is informed and considered so a degree of philosophical insight into the inevitabilities of the human condition is inherently important and such an approach will help us to deal with real personal dilemmas.

This book is an accessible, lively, and thought-provoking series of linked commentaries, based on A.C. Grayling's "The Last Word" column in the Guardian. Its aim is not to persuade readers to accept one particular philosophical point of view or theory, but to help us consider the wonderful range of insights which can be drawn from an immeasurably rich history of philosophical thought. Concepts covered include courage, love, betrayal, ambition, cruelty, wisdom, passion, beauty, and death. This will be a wonderfully stimulating listen and act as an invaluable guide as to what is truly important in living life, whether facing success, failure, justice, wrong, love, loss or any of the other profound experience life throws out.

Members Reviews:

Makes you feel smarter, braver and more humane

What made the experience of listening to The Meaning of Things the most enjoyable?

One might think that a book of brief essays on a series of hackneyed topics (love, death, happiness, etc.), comprising little more than some brief thoughts from the author, always backed-up by cherry-picked examples from ancient and modern texts, would be boring and unsatisfying. But this work is actually a distillation of the wide but well chosen 40 years of reading by one of the world's top philosophers. Grayling made his name in technical philosophy working on epistemology and occasionally logic too; he's no lightweight when it comes to analytical bona fides. But he has made his name by writing popular works and ceaselessly contributing columns to an impressive number of publications.

The Meaning of Things is certainly not rigorously argued, which leaves one thinking that it could be the advice column of any hack willing to pontificate on what they think about life and there are surely no shortage of those. What makes this better is not only the hinted at rigor which Grayling surely brings to his technical work, but also a mixture of assuredness and humility which accompany his thoughts on all the topics covered.

Grayling has reached that stage of reading and study that anyone who pursues the humanities is striving for. He has read and understood a vast array of books and has incorporated the knowledge into his view fo the world. Pleasantly we find that this has allowed him to confidently dismiss ideas when they are evidently bunkum and to preserve awe and humility about the many things no one can be sure of, even well read, distinguished philosophers.

I've made this one of the rare works that I listen to more than once, often going straight back to the start when the book finishes. Any time I listen I feel somehow more courageous and am left with not only a desire to do good, but a sense of equanimity at the knowledge that doing so will be hard. I can't say more for any book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Meaning of Things?

There are too many memorable moments.