Explore Titles by Category

Al Ghazali attempted to reconcile the Muslim faith with Aristotelian logic in this work on simple piety.

A 2 volume work. In volume 1 Spencer talks about the period from his early childhood up to 1856 soon after he left work on The Economist and was working on his second book. In volume 2 he covers the period from 1856 to 1889 soon… more

A 10 volume compilation of dozens of lesser known religious works from the early centuries of the Christian church.

A translation of the principal portions of the second part of the Summa Theologica.

The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the greatest and most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures. It is mainly in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and his friend Krishna (the earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu). The… more

Vol. 1 contains selections from the work of Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Butler, Adam Smith, and Bentham. Vol. 2 contains works by Samuel Clarke, Balguy, Richard Price, Hobbes, Kames, Locke, Wollaston, and others.

The Liberty Fund edition of Characteristicks presents the complete 1732 text of this classic work of philosophy and political theory. Also included are faithful reproductions of the stirring engravings that Shaftesbury created to… more

A 2 volume collection of Spinoza’s most important works. Vol. 1 contains the Theologico-Political Treatise and the posthumous Political Treatise. Vol. 2 contains On Improvement of Understanding, Ethicas, and Letters.

Huss’s most famous work for which he was burnt at the stake for claiming that Christ was the founder of the Church not Peter.

The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill consists of 33 volumes which contain the writings of one of the leading classical liberals of the 19th century. Mill wrote works of political economy, philosophy, history, political theory, and… more

Calvin’s detailed commentaries on imortant books of the New Testament.

One of Calvin’s very influential commentaries on books of the New Testament which had a decisive impact on the course of the Reformation.

An 8 volume collection of the works of Bede including his poetry, letters, Ecclesiastical history, historical and scientific tracts, homilies, and commentaries on the scriptures.

While under arrest and awaiting execution by King Theodoric for threatening his position by attempting to reconcile a schism between Rome and Constantinople in 524, Boethius wrote his best know work, The Consolation of Philosophy, in… more

One of Kant’s major works of philosophy which were designed to place the discipline on a sound rational footing. This volume deals with aesthetic and teleological questions.

This is an 1889 edition which includes many of Kant’s most important works such as the Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, the Critique of Practical Reason, the Introduction to the Metaphysic of Morals, and the… more

One of Kant’s most important philosophical works and one of the most important of the Enlightenment as well. In it he argues that the world that we know is structured by the way that we perceive and think about the world. Reason is… more

Spencer continues his exploration of individualist moral philosophy in this book. He examines the nature of human conduct, different ways in which conduct might be judged, the conflict between egoism and altruism, and what he calls… more

A 5 volume edition of Plato by the great English Victorian Greek scholar, Benjamin Jowett. The scholarly apparatus is immense and detailed. The online version preserves the marginal comments of the printed edition and has links to… more

The Divine Feudal Law sets forth Pufendorf’s basis for the reunion of the Lutheran and Calvinist confessions. This attempt to seek a “conciliation” between the confessions complements the concept of toleration discussed in Of the… more

The Venerable Saint Bede was an important Anglo-Saxon theologian and historian. He is generally best remembered for his Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, a work considered to be one of the best sources for early English… more

An Elegant and Learned Discourse of the Light of Nature is a concerted effort to find a middle way between the two extremes that dominated the religious dispute of the English civil war in the seventeenth century. Nathaniel… more

Fordyce’s Elements of Moral Philosophy was a notable contribution to the curriculum in moral philosophy and was one of the most widely circulated texts in moral philosophy in the second half of the eighteenth century.

An 11 volume collection of the English works of Thomas Hobbes which includes his best known work of philosophy and history as well as his notable translations of Thucydides and Homer.

Plotinus is primarily remembered for his teachings, which were collected by Porphyry into a volume called the Enneads. This work gives Plotinus’s accounts of the religions and cults of his age. He was interested in the occult but… more

Two of David Hume’s most important works of moral philosophy, epistemology, and psychology which together were supposed to make up Hume’s “science of man”. They are a revised version of his earlier work A Treatise of Human Nature… more

St. Paul’s Epistles translated by the famous Victorian Greek scholar Benjamin Jowett. Also contains much commentary and analysis by Jowett.

The first half of the work presents a rich moral psychology built on a theory of the passions and an account of motivation deepening and augmenting the doctrine of moral sense developed in the Inquiry. The second half of the work is… more

This edition of Hume’s much neglected philosophical essays contains the thirty-nine essays included in Essays, Moral, and Literary, that made up Volume I of the 1777 posthumous Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects. It also… more

The essays selected here for translation derive largely from Thomasius’s work on Staatskirchenrecht, or the political jurisprudence of church law. These works, originating as disputations, theses, and pamphlets, were direct… more

The Essays is commonly considered Kames’s most important philosophical work. In the first part, he sets forth the principles and foundations of morality and justice, attacking Hume’s moral skepticism and addressing the controversial… more

A three volume collection of Spencer’s essays which cover political philosophy, sociology, science, and current affairs.

A collection of Cicero’s writings which includes On Old Age, On Friendship, Officius, and Scipio’s Dream.

A collection of Confucius’ ethical writings on topics such as the superior man, self-development, human relations, the family, the state, the cultivation of the fine arts, and religion.

Mandeville is a witty satirist who used a poem to make the profound economic point that “private vices” (or self-interest) lead to “publick benefits” (such as orderly social structures like law, language, and markets).

Spencer attempts a synthesis of his thought and expounds the first systematic theory of evolution in this work.

This is an 1883 collection of Luther’s major works which helped begin the reformation in Europe: the “95 Theses”, his “Address to the Nobility of the German Nation”, “Concerning Christian Liberty”, and the “Babylonish Captivity of… more

Mill’s critique of Sir James Mackintosh’s “Dissertation on the Progress of Ethical Philosophy” was originally published in the seventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Mill comments on Mackintosh’s interpretation of Hobbes,… more

Carus was a tireless popularizer of Buddha’s thought and this is a good example of his work. It relates the life of Buddha, contains many examples of his parables, and is lavishly illustrated with numerous etchings by O. Kopetzky.

Maimonides was one of the foremost intellectuals of medieval Judaism. He became physician to Sultan Saladin, the famous Islamic military leader. While in Cairo he wrote many volumes on Jewish legal tradition and philosophy. He is… more

As Lecky stated, this work is an attempt to use the historical method to uderstand the merits of certain theological opionions from the beginning of the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages.

Lecky discusses the decline in the belief of magic and miracles, the rise of religious persecution, the gradual secularisation of politics, and the rise of toleration and rationalism.

Tradition holds that during the last decades of Muhammad’s life he received revelations from the angel Gabriel. Muhammad was instructed to repeat these revelations to his community as warnings or instructions from God. During his… more

Written nearly fifty years ago, at a time when the world was still wrestling with the concepts of Marx and Lenin, The Illusion of the Epoch is the perfect resource for understanding the roots of Marxism-Leninism and its implications… more

A seminal text of the Scottish Enlightenment which was written as a critical response to the work of Bernard Mandeville and as a defense of the ideas of Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftesbury. It consists of two treatises exploring… more

A seminal text of the Scottish Enlightenment which was written as a critical response to the work of Bernard Mandeville and as a defense of the ideas of Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Shaftesbury. It consists of two treatises exploring… more

in 1535 John Calvin published the initial version of the Institutes. The importance of the Institutes lies with its inclusive and systematic explication of Protestant doctrine. It forcefully presents the Protestants’ claim to teach… more

One of Bentham’s most important works in which he develops his theory of ‘utility’ at considerable length and discusses how the penal system (especially punishments) could be based on this theory. One of the founding texts of the… more

Spencer’s most developed version of his political philosophy which grounds his theory of the state on an idea of justice based on certain rights of physical integrity, movement, property, and exchange. He then expands this theory to… more

Lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in the first decade of the 19th century. Volume 1 contains his lectures on population, productive and unproductive labour, and money. Volume 2 contains his lectures on free trade,… more

Part of the Thomas Hollis Library published by Liberty Fund. This volume contains A Letter Concerning Toleration, excerpts of the Third Letter, An Essay on Toleration, and various fragments.

Letters from Hume to William Strahan covering a number of topics including his trip to France, his thoughts on recently published books (by Smith and Gibbon), and generally about his relationships with leading members of the Scottish… more

A collection of Huss’ letters from 1408 to 1415.

Until the publication of this Liberty Fund edition, all but one of the works contained in Logic, Metaphysics, and the Natural Sociability of Mankind were available only in Latin. In the words of the editors: “Hutcheson’s Latin texts… more

Erasmus’s very popular 16th century guide book on how to live a moral, Christian life while avoiding formal ritual and observances.

This influential classical work offers a vision of a universe governed by a natural law that obliges us to love mankind and to govern our lives in accordance with the natural order of things. Editors Hutcheson and Moor contrasted the… more

A work which contains 4 major pieces on metaphysics and ethics: the Groundwork of a Metaphysic of Ethics, an Inquiry into the a priori Operation of the Will (an extract from the Critique of Practical Reason), an Introdcution to the… more

A collection of three of Descatres philosophical works: the Discourse of Method, the Meditations, and selections from his Principles of Philosophy.

In The Natural History of Religion and in the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion Hume provides a sustained philosophical and historical analysis of religion.

In this work Pufendorf argues for the separation of politics and religion. Written in response to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the French king, Louis XIV, Pufendorf contests the right of the sovereign to control the… more

Cicero’s detailed discussion of the Greeks’ theories of God and religion.

In his ethical treatises Aristotle offers a defense of the idea of eudaimonism (human flourishing or happiness) which is achieved as a result of human choice in search of excellence and the good life.

Part of a larger but incomplete magnum opus in which Bacon demonstrates the use of the scientific method to discover knowledge about the natural world. Many of the examples in this volume concern the nature of heat and energy.

Observations on “The Two Sons of Oil” was written in 1811 in response to the Reverend Samuel B. Wylie’s work, The Two Sons of Oil, , Wylie pointed out what he considered to be deficiencies in the constitutions of both Pennsylvania… more

Observations on “The Two Sons of Oil” was written in 1811 in response to the Reverend Samuel B. Wylie’s work, The Two Sons of Oil, which was published in 1803. Wylie pointed out what he considered to be deficiencies in the… more

This is the first full-length English translation of Benjamin Constant’s massive study of humanity’s religious forms and development, published in five volumes between 1824 and 1831. Constant (1767–1830) regarded On Religion, worked… more

A volume with two of Ambrose’s most influential writings: On the Mysteries, which are addresses given by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, to the newly-baptised in Easter week on the nature of the ceremonies and the doctrinal significance of… more

Condorcet wrote this while in prison awaiting execution by the Jacobins. It is an optimistic view of the progress the human race will undergo when political and economic liberty are gradually introduced.

Thoroughly and elegantly, Passmore explores the history of the idea of perfectibility - manifest in the ideology of perfectibilism - and its consequences, which have invariably been catastrophic for individual liberty and… more

In this defence of religious toleration, Bayle discusses the words attributed to Jesus Christ in Luke 14:23, “And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be… more

Vol. 1 - Treatise of Human Nature Bk 1; Vol. 2 - Treatise of Human Nature Bk 2 and 3; Vol. 3 - Essays Moral, Political and Literary; Vol. 4 An Inquiry Concerning the Human Understanding, An Inquiry Concerning the Principles of… more

A collection of Averroes’ shorter works on religion, including the relation between religion and philosophy, the nature of eternal knowledge, and methods of argument and faith.

A two volume collection of sermons written between 1730-1805 by people such as Jonathan Mayhew, John Wesley, Moses Mather, John Witherspoon, Richard Price, Jonathan Edwards, and Noah Webster.

This volume illuminates the origins and development of Penn’s thought by presenting complete and annotated texts of all his important political works. Penn’s early political writings illuminate the Whig understanding of English… more

Aristotle sets out the conditions under which scientific arguments will provide true knowledge; where true conclusions are deduced from first principles and basic principles are used to explain more complex ones.

A two volume work which Spencer considered to be his finest work. In volume I he covers the data of ethics, the inductions of ethics, and the ethics of individual life. In the second volume he covers the ethics of social life (or… more

The Principles of Moral and Christian Philosophy presents the first masterpiece of Scottish Common Sense philosophy. This two-volume treatise is important for its wide range of insights about the nature of the human mind, the… more

This classic work by William Paley was one of the most popular books in England and America in the early nineteenth century. Its significance lies in the fact that it marks an important point at which eighteenth century “whiggism”… more

In this volume Spencer elaborates his views on reasoning, perception, the nature of life, intelligence, feeling, and the will.

It is here and in the Critique of Pure Reason that Kant attempted to rebuild modern philosophy from its foundations up in order to demonstrate that philosophers (like the rationalists Leibnitz and Descartes) and scietnists would not… more

A collection of St. Anselm’s major religious and philosophical writings including the Proslogium in which he provides his ontological defence for the existence of God.

This collection contains the Putney Debates, the Whitehall Debates, and numerous other documents about Puritan religious and political views during the English Revolution. The collection has pieces by many authors including John… more

Tradition holds that during the last decades of Muhammad’s life he received revelations from the angel Gabriel. Muhammad was instructed to repeat these revelations to his community as warnings or instructions from God. During his… more

A condensed version (in verse) of two Indian classics of religious poetry.

Constant worked on this study of humanity’s religious forms and development throughout his life, publishing five volumes between 1824 and 1831. He sought to relate religious forms to historical contexts and civilizational… more

The Benedictine Rule was much more than a spiritual plan; it was a complete administrative package that included a workable daily regime. Moreover, Saint Benedict recognized the limitations of humanity and provided for differences in… more

A massive 50 volume collection of translations of Asian texts under the general editorship of the Oxford philologist Max Müller.

A three volume collection of Wyclife’s writings edited by Thomas Arnold in the original Middle English. Volume 1 contains sermons on the gospels; volume 2 contains gospel and epistle sermons; volume 3 contains numerous treatises, his… more

This 14 volume set contains works by Augustine and Chrysostom.

A collection of the Swiss Reformer’s major works.

Johnston introduces his selection of some representative works of the Scottish School of Common Sense by Thomas Reid, Adam Ferguson, James Beattie, and Dugald Stewart.

An early Victorian self-help book that combines Victorian morality with sound free market ideas into moral tales showing the benefits of thrift, hard work, education, perseverance, and a sound character. Smiles drew upon the personal… more

This Liberty Fund publication of Philosophiae Moralis Institutio Compendiaria is a parallel edition of the English and Latin versions of a book designed by Hutcheson for use in the classroom.

A more intimate and immediate view of Augustine at the time of his conversion to Christianity than is given by the later work The Confessions.

A selection of passages taken from Ghazzali’s longer works.

Rhazes’ medical works were important source books for Western physicians until the rise of modern medicine in the nineteenth century. His most acclaimed work on human psychology and spirituality was The Spiritual Physic.

A collection of extracts of the most important writings and sayings of Zarathushstra the founder of the Zoroastrian religion.

The political thought of Bellarmine was at the center of post-Reformation debates on the relationship between state and church; on the nature, aim, and limits of temporal government; and on the relation between religion and natural… more

A parallel version of the Old and New Testaments with the King James Version in one column and the revised Version in another column. Because of the size of this text it has been split into OT (KJV and RV) and NT (KJV and RV). The… more

This edition contains an abridged biographical essay by Dugald Stewart, the Theory of Moral Sentiments, and seven “Essays on Philosophical Subjects.”

These are commentaries on the Hindu sacred texts known as the Vedas.

A selection from the very many Upanishads in the Indian tradition. These are based upon themes such as the Vedanta, physiological, mantras, Sannyasa, and Yoga.

The collection of writings known as “Thoughts” were not published in Pascal’s lifetime. They consist of his musings about life, religion, god, sin, miracles, and other matters.

This collection of essays by Voltaire contains a long essay on the Jean Calas case, several shorter essays on religious topics, and his famous poem on the Lisbon earthquake.

A translation of some of Wyclif’s shorter Latin works, his Treatise Trialogus, his Treatise against Orders of Friars, and other shorter works.

Hume’s first major work of philosophy published in 1739 when he was just 29 yeas old. It is made up of three books entitled “Of the Understanding”, “Of the Passions”, and “Of Morals”. In the book he uses his sceptical rationalism to… more

A Treatise of the Laws of Nature, first appeared in 1672 as a theoretical response to a range of issues that came together during the late 1660s. It argued that science might offer an effective means of demonstrating the contents and… more

in this book Savonarola refutes the accusation of heresy and schism, which had been laid to his charge by his adversaries.

A nine volume collection of the works of John Locke.

The philosophical writings of the ex-Roman slave who turned to Stoicism. It contains his Discourses, the Enchiridion, and several Fragments attributed to him.

An 11 volume collection of the works of Jeremy Bentham edited by the philosophic radical and political reformer John Bowring. For a complete list of the titles in The Works of Jeremy Bentham see this page.

… more

A 3 volume collection of this influential English Puritan minister’s writings, including his A Justification of Separation from the Church of England.

A three volume collection of the works of Richard Hooker.

A collection of St Francis’s writings, including various rules, letters, and prayers.