Philosophy bestsellers

Four Thousand Weeks

Time Management for Mortals

By: Oliver Burkeman
Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
Length: 5 hours 53 minutes

“A game-changer. People tote time management as a way to accomplish everything, but that's impossible—time is a limited resource. The whole way we think about time is wrong. So how can we approach our relationship to time in a way that doesn't overwhelm? This book is a powerhouse. A must-read, especially for folks with anxiety, an intimate... Read more

How to Be Perfect

The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

By: Michael Schur
Narrated by: Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D'Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil & Todd May
Length: 9 hours 13 minutes

“Who doesn’t need a little guidance on this topic, right? Michael Schur discusses what can be a weighty topic (that is often presented somewhat dryly) with wit and humor. I have to say, I prefer the audio version of this book. The tone and style are so engaging, and that aforementioned humor is highlighted in a way that I sometimes missed reading... Read more

All Things Are Too Small

Essays in Praise of Excess

By: Becca Rothfeld
Narrated by: Ruth Crawford
Length: 10 hours 29 minutes

A glorious call to throw off restraint and balance in favor of excess, abandon, and disproportion, in essays ranging from such topics as decluttering, mindfulness, David Cronenberg, sadomasochism, and women who wait. All Things Are Too Small is brilliant cultural and literary critic Becca Rothfeld’s plea for derangement: imbalance, obsession,... Read more

Solidarity

The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea

By: Leah Hunt-Hendrix & Astra Taylor
Narrated by: Veronica Giguere
Length: 14 hours 12 minutes

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • From renowned organizers and activists Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor, comes the first in-depth examination of Solidarity—not just as a rallying cry, but as potent political movement with potential to effect lasting change.

“A window into what is possible when we reject the politics of division, trade... Read more

The Courage to Be Disliked

How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness

By: Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
Narrated by: Noah Galvin, Graeme Malcolm & January LaVoy
Length: 6 hours 28 minutes

An international bestseller and TikTok sensation with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, The Courage to Be Disliked is a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfillment.

Now you can unlock your full potential and free yourself from the shackles of past traumas and societal expectations to find true personal... Read more

How to Know a Person

The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

By: David Brooks
Narrated by: David Brooks
Length: 7 hours 27 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives—from the author of The Road to Character and The Second Mountain

As David Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family,... Read more

Neuroqueer Heresies

Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities

By: Nick Walker
Narrated by: Janet Metzger
Length: 6 hours 16 minutes

The work of queer autistic scholar Nick Walker has played a key role in the evolving discourse on human neurodiversity.

Neuroqueer Heresies collects a decade's worth of Dr. Walker's most influential writings, along with new commentary by the author and new material on her radical conceptualization of Neuroqueer Theory.

This book is essential... Read more

Determined

A Science of Life without Free Will

By: Robert M. Sapolsky
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
Length: 14 hours 4 minutes

The instant New York Times bestseller

“Excellent…Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing, and the depth of humanity it conveys.” – Wall Street Journal

One of our great behavioral scientists, the bestselling author of Behave, plumbs the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to mount a devastating... Read more

Fierce Self-Compassion

How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

By: Kristin Neff
Narrated by: Jean Ann Douglass
Length: 12 hours 34 minutes

The author of Self-Compassion follows up her groundbreaking book with new ideas that expand our notion of self-kindness and its capacity to transform our lives, showing women how to balance tender self-acceptance with fierce action to claim their power and change the world.

Kristin Neff changed how we talk about self-care with her enormously... Read more

The Obstacle Is the Way

The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Length: 4 hours 38 minutes

#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller

The Obstacle is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do.

Its many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), an NBC... Read more

Courage Is Calling

Fortune Favors the Brave

The Stoic Virtues Series

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Length: 6 hours 4 minutes

The instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller!
 
Ryan Holiday’s bestselling trilogy—The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego is the Enemy, and Stillness is the Key—captivated professional athletes, CEOs, politicians, and entrepreneurs and helped bring Stoicism to millions of readers. Now, in the first book of an exciting new series... Read more

When Breath Becomes Air

By: Paul Kalanithi
Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra & Cassandra Campbell
Length: 5 hours 34 minutes

“With a message both mournful and life-affirming, When Breath Becomes Air chronicles a young doctor's journey from literature student to promising neurosurgeon and finally to a patient in his own hospital after being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Always profound, never sentimental, this important book refuses to take refuge in platitudes,... Read more

A History of Western Philosophy

By: Bertrand Russell
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
Length: 38 hours 2 minutes

Hailed as “lucid and magisterial” by The Observer, this book is universally acclaimed as the outstanding one-volume work on the subject of Western philosophy.

Considered to be one of the most important philosophical works of all time, the History of Western Philosophy is a dazzlingly unique exploration of the ideologies of significant... Read more

Finite and Infinite Games

By: James Carse
Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
Length: 4 hours 11 minutes

“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “One could be called finite; the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.”

Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be... Read more

Consider the Lobster

And Other Essays

By: David Foster Wallace
Narrated by: David Foster Wallace & Robert Petkoff
Length: 15 hours 8 minutes

Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a funny bone? What is John Updike's deal, anyway? And what happens when adult video starlets meet their fans in person?

David Foster Wallace answers these questions and more in essays that are also enthralling narrative adventures. Whether covering the three-ring circus of John McCain's 2000... Read more

Marcus Aurelius: Meditations. Thoughts of an Emperor

A literary masterpiece of Stoic philosophy

By: Marcus Aurelius
Narrated by: Sven Görtz
Length: 6 hours 52 minutes

Marcus Aurelius was both philosopher and emperor of the Roman Empire. As emperor he was forced to defend his borders against enemies. How can you keep your calm and balance in times of war? A truly timeless classic. Included: a pdf document with track list. Read more

The Blind Spot

Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience

By: Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser & Evan Thompson
Narrated by: Perry Daniels
Length: 11 hours 58 minutes

In The Blind Spot, astrophysicist Adam Frank, theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser, and philosopher Evan Thompson call for a revolutionary scientific worldview, where science includes—rather than ignores or tries not to see—humanity's lived experience as an inescapable part of our search for objective truth. They urge practitioners to reframe... Read more

Shop Class as Soulcraft

An Inquiry into the Value of Work

By: Matthew B. Crawford
Narrated by: Max Bloomquist
Length: 6 hours 38 minutes

A philosopher/mechanic's wise (and sometimes funny) look at the challenges and pleasures of working with one's hands 

“This is a deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real, hands-on knowledge. The book is also quirky, surprising, and sometimes quite moving.” —Richard Sennett, author of The Craftsman

Called “the sleeper hit of the... Read more

Stoic Foundations

The Cornerstone Works of Stoicism

By: Marcus Aurelius, Seneca & Epictetus
Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
Length: 13 hours 1 minute

An essential guide to the core texts of Stoic philosophy, featuring a new introduction from Massimo Pigliucci, author of How To Be A Stoic

Stoicism is a philosophy, a worldview, and a transformational practice. Throughout the centuries everyone from kings and presidents to Silicone Valley entrepreneurs have drawn inspiration and wisdom from... Read more

Radical Hope

Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation

By: Jonathan Lear
Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
Length: 5 hours 1 minute

Shortly before he died, Plenty Coups, the last great Chief of the Crow Nation, told his story—up to a certain point. "When the buffalo went away the hearts of my people fell to the ground," he said, "and they could not lift them up again. After this nothing happened."

It is precisely this point—that of a people faced with the end of their way... Read more

We Are Free to Change the World

Hannah Arendt's Lessons in Love and Disobedience

By: Lyndsey Stonebridge
Narrated by: Cosima Shaw
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes

A timely guide on how to live—and think—through the challenges of our century drawn from the life and thought of political theorist Hannah Arendt, one of the twentieth century’s foremost opponents of totalitarianism

“We are free to change the world and to start something new in it.”—Hannah Arendt

The violent unease of today’s world would have been... Read more

LSD and the Mind of the Universe

Diamonds from Heaven

By: Christopher M. Bache
Narrated by: Christopher M. Bache
Length: 15 hours

A professor of religious studies meticulously documents his insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted over the course of 20 years

• Chronicles, with unprecedented rigor, the author’s systematic journey into a unified field of consciousness that underlies all physical existence

• Makes a powerful case for the value of psychedelically... Read more

Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home

How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life

By: Marie Kondo
Narrated by: Traci Kato-Kiriyama
Length: 2 hours 58 minutes

Transform your home into a haven of calm and achieve your ideal lifestyle with this inspirational guide, from the Netflix star and #1 bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
 
Inspired by the Japanese concept of kurashi, or “way of life,” Kurashi at Home invites you to visualize your best life from the moment you wake up until... Read more

The More of Less

By: Joshua Becker
Narrated by: Joshua Becker
Length: 6 hours 43 minutes

Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter, and we tire of cleaning and managing and organizing.

While excess consumption leads to bigger houses, faster cars, fancier technology, and cluttered homes, it never brings happiness. Rather, it results in a desire for more. It redirects our greatest passions... Read more

What We Owe Each Other

A New Social Contract for a Better Society

By: Minouche Shafik
Narrated by: Minouche Shafik
Length: 6 hours 55 minutes

This audiobook narrated by Minouche Shafik provides an urgent rethinking of how we can better support each other to thrive

Whether we realize it or not, all of us participate in the social contract every day through mutual obligations among our family, community, place of work, and fellow citizens. Caring for others, paying taxes, and benefiting... Read more

After Virtue, Third Edition

A Study in Moral Theory

By: Alasdair MacIntyre
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Length: 14 hours 27 minutes

When After Virtue first appeared in 1981, it was recognized as a significant and potentially controversial critique of contemporary moral philosophy. Since that time, the book has been translated into more than fifteen foreign languages and has sold over one hundred thousand copies. Now, twenty-five years later, the University of Notre Dame... Read more

The Socratic Method

A Practitioner’s Handbook

By: Ward Farnsworth
Narrated by: John Lescault
Length: 7 hours 46 minutes

A thinking person’s guide to a better life. Ward Farnsworth explains what the Socratic method is, how it works, and why it matters more than ever in our time. Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, the method will change the way you think about life’s big questions.About 2,500 years ago, Plato wrote a set of dialogues that depict Socrates in... Read more

On the Happy Life - The Complete Dialogues

By: Seneca
Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
Length: 14 hours 30 minutes

In his dialogues the Stoic philosopher Seneca outlines his thoughts on how to live in a troubled world. Tutor to the young emperor Nero, Seneca wrote practical philosophical exercises that draw upon contemporary Roman life and illuminate the intellectual concerns of the day. The dialogues also have much to say to the modern reader, as they range... Read more

Assholes

A Theory

By: Aaron James
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 6 hours 14 minutes

In the spirit of the mega-selling On Bullshit, philosopher Aaron James presents a theory of the asshole that is both intellectually provocative and existentially necessary.

What does it mean for someone to be an asshole? The answer is not obvious, despite the fact that we are often personally stuck dealing with people for whom there is no... Read more

In Defense of Open Society

By: George Soros
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Length: 5 hours 42 minutes

An impassioned defense of open society, academic and media freedom, and human rights.
George Soros -- universally known for his philanthropy, progressive politics, and investment success--has been under sustained attack from the far right, nationalists, and anti-Semites in the United States and around the world because of his commitment to open... Read more

If You Live to 100, You Might As Well Be Happy

Essays on Ordinary Joy

By: Rhee Kun Hoo
Length: TBA

This endearing, giftable guidebook by Korean bestseller Dr. Rhee reflects on the wisdom he’s learned during his life: how to forgive, persevere, and stop the rat race, plus the joys of living simply and the power of ordinary happiness. He explores his relationships with his wife, children, and grandchildren, and how to stay whole as your body... Read more

The Book of Hope

A Survival Guide for Trying Times

Global Icons Series

By: Jane Goodall & Douglas Abrams
Narrated by: Douglas Abrams & Jane Goodall
Length: 6 hours 49 minutes

“Listening to this on audio has been a special experience simply due to the fact that Jane Goodall’s voice as she delivers her philosophies on hope in regards to the environment is both a balm to a troubled mind and spark of inspiration towards action. There is someone in your life that needs this book and it would make a great gift for them. Read more

A Brief History of Equality

By: Thomas Piketty
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 8 hours 43 minutes

“A refreshing perspective from a leading economist on the interplay between economic development, the distribution of wealth and income, political conflict, and equality. Pure Piketty! Read more

12 Rules for Life

An Antidote to Chaos

By: Jordan B. Peterson
Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
Length: 15 hours 56 minutes

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER 

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

What does everyone in the modern world need to know?

Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.

Humorous, surprising and... Read more

God, Human, Animal, Machine

Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning

By: Meghan O'Gieblyn
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
Length: 9 hours 19 minutes

A strikingly original exploration of what it might mean to be authentically human in the age of artificial intelligence, from the author of the critically-acclaimed Interior States. • "At times personal, at times philosophical, with a bracing mixture of openness and skepticism, it speaks thoughtfully and articulately to the most crucial issues... Read more

The Second Sex

By: Simone De Beauvoir
Narrated by: Ellen Archer & Judith Thurman
Length: 39 hours 9 minutes

UNABRIDGED AND AVAILABLE ON AUDIO FOR THE FIRST TIME

Simone de Beauvoir’s essential masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of “woman,” and a revolutionary exploration of inequality and otherness. This unabridged edition of the text reinstates significant portions of the original French text that were cut in the first English... Read more

Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing The Uncommon

By: Dr. Joe Dispenza
Narrated by: Adam Boyce
Length: 14 hours 6 minutes

The author of the New York Times bestseller You Are the Placebo, as well as Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and Evolve Your Brain, draws on research conducted at his advanced workshops since 2012 to explore how common people are doing the uncommon to transform themselves and their lives. Becoming Supernatural marries the some of the most... Read more

The Persuaders

At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy

By: Anand Giridharadas
Narrated by: Anand Giridharadas
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An insider account of activists, politicians, educators, and everyday citizens working to change minds, bridge divisions, and fight for democracy—from disinformation fighters to a leader of Black Lives Matter to Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and more—by the best-selling author of Winners Take All and... Read more

The Book of Eels

Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

By: Patrik Svensson
Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
Length: 6 hours 24 minutes

Part H Is for Hawk, part The Soul of an Octopus, The Book of Eels is both a meditation on the world’s most elusive fish—the eel—and a reflection on the human condition.Remarkably little is known about the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has... Read more

Tao Te Ching

A New English Version

By: Stephen Mitchell & Lao Tzu
Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell
Length: 1 hour 40 minutes

In 81 brief chapters, Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit, and teaches us how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao—the basic principle of the universe. Stephen Mitchell's bestselling version has been... Read more

I've Been Thinking...

By: Daniel C. Dennett
Narrated by: Graham Winton
Length: 14 hours 26 minutes

Daniel C. Dennett, preeminent philosopher and cognitive scientist, has spent his career considering the thorniest, most fundamental mysteries of the mind. Do we have free will? What is consciousness and how did it come about? What distinguishes human minds from the minds of animals? Dennett’s answers have profoundly shaped our age of... Read more

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

By: Marie Kondo
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 4 hours 50 minutes

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate... Read more

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Incerto: Book #3

By: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Narrated by: Joe Ochman
Length: 16 hours 13 minutes

Antifragile is a standalone book in Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand. The other books in the series are Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, and The Bed of Procrustes.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the... Read more

Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids

By: Scott Hershovitz
Narrated by: Scott Hershovitz
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

An NPR Best Book of 2022 * One of Christian Science Monitor's 10 best books of May

“This amazing new book . . . takes us on a journey through classic and contemporary philosophy powered by questions like ‘What do we have the right to do? When is it okay to do this or that?’ They explore punishment and authority and sex and gender and race and the... Read more

The Bright Ages

A New History of Medieval Europe

By: Matthew Gabriele & David M. Perry
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
Length: 9 hours 30 minutes

"Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world did wake civilization from a thousand year hibernation. Thoroughly enjoyable, thoughtful and accessible; a fresh look on an age full of light, color, and illumination." —Mike Duncan,... Read more

The Art of Living

Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now

By: Thich Nhat Hanh
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & Gabra Zackman
Length: 5 hours

In troubled times, there is an urgency to understand ourselves and our world. We have so many questions, and they tug at us night and day, consciously and unconsciously. In this important volume Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh—one of the most revered spiritual leaders in the world today—reveals an art of living in mindfulness that helps us answer... Read more

Ulysses by James Joyce

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: Sam Blair , Pietro Kelley, Teo Harding, Sefa Chandler, Clarissa Meyer Samuel Welch, Arina Sharp, Joshua Riley
Length: 31 hours 28 minutes

Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on February 2, 1922, in Paris. It is considered one of the most important works of Modernist literature.
Ulysses chronicles the passage through Dublin by its main... Read more

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think

By: Brianna Wiest
Narrated by: Abby Craden
Length: 10 hours 45 minutes

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see... Read more

The Rigor of Angels

Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality

By: William Egginton
Narrated by: David Glass
Length: 10 hours 14 minutes

A NEW YORK TIMES AND NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A poet, a physicist, and a philosopher explored the greatest enigmas in the universe—the nature of free will, the strange fabric of the cosmos, the true limits of the mind—and each in their own way uncovered a revelatory truth about our place in the world

“[A] mind-expanding book. . . .... Read more

Entitled

How Male Privilege Hurts Women

By: Kate Manne
Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell
Length: 6 hours 5 minutes

An urgent exploration of men’s entitlement and how it serves to police and punish women, from the acclaimed author of Down Girl

“Kate Manne is a thrilling and provocative feminist thinker. Her work is indispensable.”—Rebecca Traister 

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ATLANTIC

In this bold and stylish critique, Cornell philosopher... Read more