Philosophy audiobooks

Roping the Sacred Cows: Learning to Question Authority

By: Joel Kramer & Diana Alstad

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

This moment in history, says Joel Kramer, is a historical crossroads when "the moral order, the glue that has held civilizations together, begins to unravel"--a time to escape authoritarian constraints and move into self-trust and creativity. Read more

A Native American Dream

By: Russell Means

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Means recalls memories of his grandfather and his extended Native American family as well as the recovery of personal identity and pride. He shares what he has learned about history, oppression, and freedom, and gives insights into the current political story, how history is repeating itself in modern America and what still needs to happen. Read more

Everyday Enlightenment

By: Richard Moss & Ariel Moss

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 54 minutes

Abridged: No

These dedicated explorers of human consciousness offer a stimulating view of what could be possible if we learned to use our everyday situations, our body awareness, and our family relationships to live toward a new definition of enlightenment. They describe how to use sensation and intuition as guides to spiritual growth. Read more

The New Approach to Medicine

By: Andrew Weil, M.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Our modern medical system, based on high technology tests and treatments, is beginning to topple under its own weight and expense. But there is another approach to medicine that is less expensive and often more effective, especially for chronic conditions. Read more

Principles of the Peaceful Warrior

By: Dan Millman

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

All my life, says Dan Millman, "I've searched for principles that seem to have a certain integrity and permanence, that apply in all conditions." Here we are treated to the fruits of this search, as Millman discusses the "Laws of Spirit" that he has discovered, and how we can use them to live the life of the "Peaceful Warrior"--a life of... Read more

Insight and Wisdom Through Loss

By: Isabel Allende

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

What are the most important things in life? How can we experience them deeply, and how do we learn from them? Isabel Allende is a master of these questions, having wrestled with profound losses in her life as well as experiencing great love, pain and joy. Read more

Time, Space and the Cosmos

By: Paul Davies

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

What is time? Is time travel possible? What is a black hole like? Here are some clear and fascinating explanations of many idiosyncrasies of science and philosophy on which modern physics has been shedding new light. "There is more to the universe," says Davies, "than meets the eye…Matter is far more nebulous and mysterious than we thought." Read more

Living the Heart Path

By: Doug Boyd

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

There are many avenues of personal empowerment available in today's world--but none of them mean anything unless we put our abilities into service for other people. This teacher of powerful medicine ways shares his insights about the power of making ourselves available to people, and the path of humanity toward service and compassion. Read more

Traveling Light For the Good Life

By: Richard Leider

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Are you living the good life? asks Richard Leider. Are you living with people you love, in the place that's right, doing good work, with a sense of purpose? Here is a challenge to reconsider the structure of your entire life, to choose for yourself what is needed to "repack" it for greater purpose and satisfaction. Read more

The Voyage of the Beagle

By: Charles Darwin

Narrated by: David Case

Length: TBA

Abridged: No

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on an expedition that, in his own words, determined my whole career. The Voyage of the Beagle chronicles his five-year journey around the world and especially the coastal waters of South America as a naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. While traveling through these unexplored countries collecting specimens, Darwin... Read more

What I Believe

By: Bertrand Russell

Narrated by: Terrence Hardiman

Length: 2 hours 25 minutes

Abridged: No

Remarkably relevant, beautifully written, and filled with wit and wisdom, these three essays by Bertrand Russell allow the listener to test the concepts of the good life, morality, the existence of God, Christianity, and human nature. “What I Believe” was used prominently in the 1940 New York court proceedings in which Russell was judicially... Read more

Wild Heart: The Politics Of Place

By: Terry Tempest Williams

Narrated by: Justine Willis Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Environmental politics becomes a matter of sensual passion rather than political correctness in this rich, colorful mosaic of thoughts on wildness, landscape, animals, and humans. It sparkles with gems of insight mined from Williams' own profound sense of belonging in nature and includes the voice of the late Edward Abbey, maverick... Read more

Finding the Mystical in Ordinary Life

By: James Carse

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

This is for everyone who has ever felt that mystical awareness and inner contentment are impossible given their current life situations. Mystical traditions, on the contrary, widely agree that ordinary experience is where we find the key to deep involvement in life. Read more

Hearing the Word in An Empty Sky: A Christian-Buddhist Dialogue

By: Brother David Steindl-Rast & Robert Aitken Roshi

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

An exciting dialogue is emerging between Buddhism and Christianity. In this program, exponents of the two traditions meet with depth, humor and mutual respect. They examine the similarities and gifts each tradition offers the other, while honoring the richness of human expression, that their differences provide. Read more

How to Live Your Dreams

By: Barbara Sher

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 54 minutes

Abridged: No

What is it that you really want in life? Do you have a dream--something you've always wanted to do, and maybe never even told anyone about? Barbara Sher has a plan to make your dreams come true: Ask yourself what your dreams really are, and then do what it takes to make them happen. It sounds too simple to be true, until we realize that we are... Read more

Thomas Merton Remembered

By: Brother Patrick Hart, Father Timothy Kelly, Bro...

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

On the 25th anniversary of Thomas Merton's untimely death in Bangkok, Michael Toms visited Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, and talked with several of those who knew the remarkable Trappist monk and acclaimed writer when he lived there during the last 27 years of his life. Read more

Discovering Soul in the Workplace

By: David Whyte

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

The soul would much rather fail at its own life than succeed at someone else's, notes poet David Whyte. "So far, much of corporate America has been about succeeding at other people's lives." Determined to change this situation, Whyte has been working with organizations to help them foster creativity in their employees, for the simple reason that... Read more

Dialogue With Sir Laurens Van der Post: A Mythic Journey, Part 1

By: Laurens Van der Post

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

The experiences of Sir Laurens Van der Post, including time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and a sojourn in the Kalahari desert after World War II, give him a broad perspective. He shares with us the mythic origins of Hitler and Nazism, and why the end of “the age of leaders” is relevant today. Read more

Dialogue With Sir Laurens Van der Post: A Mythic Journey, Part 2

By: Laurens Van der Post

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Sir Laurens Van der Post had a long friendship with Carl Jung. He talks here about the significance of Jung’s work and the compelling story of events surrounding Jung’s death. He also shares his perspectives on the I Ching and the nature of time, and why feminine wisdom is coming of age. Read more

Dialogue With Sir Laurens Van der Post: A Mythic Journey, Part 3

By: Laurens Van der Post

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Sir Laurens Vander Post placed great significance on dreams. In this dialog he shares how collective and individual dreams relate to our changing times. He also speaks about the emergence of new meaning and hope for the future. At age 86, he had a thought-provoking outlook on living and dying. Read more

The Survival Of Consciousness

By: Stanislav Grof & Willis Harman, Ph.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

This is a compelling dialogue with two researchers who have devoted their lives to exploring the questions related to survival of consciousness after death and experiences of non-ordinary consciousness. Read more

Creating Conscious Community

By: Carolyn Shaffer & Kristin Anundsen

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

Shaffer and Anundsen discuss how modern times have created new needs as well as opportunities for creating effective community of many kinds. Our human need for connection is as strong as ever, and here are creative, encouraging ways to fulfill our connection in the context of today's world. Read more

Falling Awake

By: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

By paying attention in the moment and to the people we are with, Jon Kabat-Zinn says we can bring a richness and power to our lives that goes beyond healing to give us meaning, wonder and joy in life. “It’s very similar to falling asleep,” he says, “only this is actually falling awake.” Kabat-Zinn has decades of experience with the effectiveness... Read more

Thomas Merton the Man

By: Ron Seitz

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

In late 1993, Michael Toms made a "pilgrimage" to the hermitage of Thomas Merton at the Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. This is a recording of his visit with Ron Seitz, who was a young poet when he befriended and was mentored by Merton. Here Seitz offers memories and insight from the life of the brilliant Trappist monk and spiritual teacher. Read more