The great books, side by side
From Homer to Wittgenstein: each work in its original language beside a new translation in modern English—and many to listen to.
All free to read, listen to and share. The originals are in the public domain, and our translations are free to reuse under CC BY-SA.
Pathways
Themed journeys, a book at a time.
- A Better LifePractical wisdom for living well, from Stoic handbooks to Montaigne.7 books · 10 hrs · 7 to listen
- Power and PoliticsWho should rule, and why anyone should obey: the great arguments in order.8 books · 32 hrs · 8 to listen
- How to Be GoodVirtue, duty, consequences, and the critics: the great theories of ethics.7 books · 14 hrs · 7 to listen
- God and FaithReason, revelation and doubt across Christian, Islamic and modern thought.8 books · 30 hrs · 8 to listen
- Mind and KnowledgeWhat can we know, and how? From Plato to Wittgenstein.7 books · 22 hrs · 7 to listen
- Death and MeaningHow philosophers have faced mortality and asked what life is for.7 books · 14 hrs · 7 to listen
- All 10 pathways →Love and Friendship, Eastern Wisdom, Women Philosophers, Nature and Science
All 181 books
Antiquityto AD 500
Anonymous (Sîn-lēqi-unninni)
Hebrew Bible
- GenesisבְּרֵאשִׁיתCreation, the flood, and the family stories of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph.Hebrew · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 31 min
- PsalmsתְּהִלִּיםA hundred and fifty songs of praise, lament, trust and anger, the hymnbook of ancient Israel.Hebrew · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 4 hr 30 min
- JobאִיּוֹבA good man loses everything, argues with his friends, and demands an answer from God.Hebrew · 1.5 hrs · Audiobook, 1 hr 45 min
- Ecclesiastesקֹהֶלֶת“Breath, all is breath”: the Teacher's restless reflections on work, wisdom, pleasure and death.Hebrew · 25 min · Audiobook, 32 min
Homer8th century BC
Hesiodc. 700 BC
Hindu scriptureUpanishads, c. 800–300 BC; Bhagavad Gita, c. 2nd century BC
Sappho and others
The Presocratics6th–5th century BC
Confucius551–479 BC
Sunzic. 5th century BC (traditional)
Aeschylusc. 525–456 BC
- AgamemnonἈγαμέμνωνThe king comes home from Troy, and his wife is waiting.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 27 min
- Libation BearersΧοηφόροιOrestes returns to avenge his father on his mother.Greek · 40 min · Audiobook, 56 min
- EumenidesΕὐμενίδεςHunted by the Furies, Orestes stands trial at Athens.Greek · 40 min · Audiobook, 55 min
- Prometheus BoundΠρομηθεὺς ΔεσμώτηςChained to a rock for giving fire to humans, a god defies Zeus.Greek · 40 min · Audiobook, 57 min
Sophoclesc. 497–406 BC
- Oedipus the KingΟἰδίπους ΤύραννοςA king hunts a murderer and finds himself.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 24 min
- AntigoneἈντιγόνηA sister buries her brother against the king’s law.Greek · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 10 min
- ElectraἨλέκτραA daughter waits years for her brother to come home and avenge their father.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 18 min
- Oedipus at ColonusΟἰδίπους ἐπὶ ΚολωνῷOld, blind and exiled, Oedipus finds a place to die near Athens.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 36 min
Herodotus
Euripidesc. 480–406 BC
- MedeaΜήδειαAbandoned by Jason, Medea plans a revenge beyond imagining.Greek · 55 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 17 min
- BacchaeΒάκχαιA new god comes to Thebes, and the king who refuses him is destroyed.Greek · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 13 min
- HippolytusἹππόλυτοςA queen’s forbidden love and a young man’s refusal end in ruin.Greek · 55 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 17 min
- Trojan WomenΤρῳάδεςAfter Troy falls, its women wait to be handed out as slaves.Greek · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 10 min
Mozic. 470–391 BC
Thucydides
Confucian classics
Aristophanesc. 446–386 BC
- CloudsΝεφέλαιA debt-ridden father sends his son to Socrates’ school of clever talk.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 30 min
- FrogsΒάτραχοιDionysus goes to Hades to bring back a great poet, and judges a contest.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 28 min
- LysistrataΛυσιστράτηThe women of Greece go on strike to end the war.Greek · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 14 min
- BirdsὌρνιθεςTwo Athenians persuade the birds to build a city in the sky.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 39 min
Xenophon
Platoc. 428–348 BC
- ApologyἈπολογία ΣωκράτουςSocrates on trial for his life, defending the examined life.Greek · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 6 min
- EuthyphroΕὐθύφρωνIs something good because the gods love it, or do they love it because it is good?Greek · 30 min · Audiobook, 40 min
- CritoΚρίτωνSocrates in prison, and the case for not escaping.Greek · 25 min · Audiobook, 32 min
- PhaedoΦαίδωνSocrates’ last day, and whether the soul survives death.Greek · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 2 hr 43 min
- MenoΜένωνCan excellence be taught? Meno’s paradox, and learning as recollection.Greek · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 15 min
- SymposiumΣυμπόσιονA dinner party, seven speeches, and what love is really for.Greek · 1.5 hrs · Audiobook, 2 hr 12 min
- GorgiasΓοργίαςRhetoric, power and pleasure: is it better to suffer injustice than to do it?Greek · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 25 min
- PhaedrusΦαῖδροςLove, the soul as a charioteer, and the dangers of writing.Greek · 1.5 hrs · Audiobook, 2 hr 14 min
- TheaetetusΘεαίτητοςWhat is knowledge? Perception, true belief, and the midwife of ideas.Greek · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 5 min
- TimaeusΤίμαιοςHow a divine craftsman made the cosmos, and the story of Atlantis.Greek · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 14 min
- RepublicΠολιτείαWhat is justice, and is the just life the happiest? The cave, the philosopher-kings, and the ideal city.Greek · 8 hrs · Audiobook, 11 hr 20 min
- LawsΝόμοιPlato's last and longest work: three old men design the laws of a new city.Greek · 10 hrs · Audiobook, 14 hr 0 min
- ProtagorasΠρωταγόραςCan virtue be taught? Socrates against the most famous sophist.Greek · 1.5 hrs · Audiobook, 2 hr 10 min
- SophistΣοφιστήςWhat is a sophist? A visitor from Elea hunts him down, and finds that not-being, in a sense, is.Greek · 1.5 hrs
- LachesΛάχηςTwo generals try to say what courage is, and Socrates shows that neither knows.Greek · 45 min
- CratylusΚρατύλοςAre names right by nature or by convention? Socrates tests a hundred etymologies, some serious, some not.Greek · 1.5 hrs
- ParmenidesΠαρμενίδηςThe old Parmenides takes the young Socrates' theory of Forms apart, then runs a dizzying exercise on the one.Greek · 1.5 hrs
- IonἼωνDoes a reciter of Homer know anything? Socrates suggests poets and performers are inspired, not wise.Greek · 20 min
Laozic. 4th century BC
Aristotle384–322 BC
- Nicomachean EthicsἨθικὰ ΝικομάχειαHappiness, character, the mean between extremes, and friendship.Greek · 6 hrs · Audiobook, 8 hr 0 min
- PoliticsΠολιτικάHuman beings are political animals. What makes a city, and which constitution is best?Greek · 6 hrs · Audiobook, 8 hr 35 min
- MetaphysicsΤὰ μετὰ τὰ φυσικάAll people by nature desire to know. Being, substance, and the unmoved mover.Greek · 8 hrs · Audiobook, 10 hr 42 min
- On the SoulΠερὶ ψυχῆςWhat makes something alive? The soul as the form of a living body.Greek · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 2 hr 49 min
- PoeticsΠερὶ ποιητικῆςPlot, character, and why tragedy moves us with pity and fear.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 23 min
- CategoriesΚατηγορίαιSubstance, quantity, quality, relation: the basic kinds of things there are.Greek · 1 hr · Audiobook, 1 hr 21 min
- RhetoricΤέχνη ῥητορικήHow persuasion works: character, emotion and argument.Greek · 4 hrs · Audiobook, 6 hr 9 min
Menciusc. 372–289 BC
Zhuangzic. 369–286 BC
Epicurus341–270 BC
Xunzic. 310–235 BC
Han Feizi
Buddhist scriptureDhammapada, c. 3rd century BC
- Dhammapadaधम्मपदThe Buddha’s teaching in 423 short verses.Pali · 50 min · Audiobook, 1 hr 10 min
- Heart Sutraप्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयForm is emptiness, emptiness is form: Buddhism’s most chanted text.Sanskrit · 5 min · Audiobook, 3 min
- The Diamond Sutra金剛般若波羅蜜經The Buddha teaches Subhūti to let go of every fixed idea, even of the teaching itself.Classical Chinese · 25 min · Audiobook, 39 min
Cicero106–43 BC
Lucretiusc. 99–55 BC
Virgil70–19 BC
Ovid
Senecac. 4 BC – AD 65
New Testament
Epictetusc. AD 50–135
Marcus AureliusAD 121–180
Nāgārjunac. AD 150–250
Sextus Empiricusc. AD 160–210
Diogenes Laertius
Patañjalic. 2nd century BC – 5th century AD
Plotinusc. AD 204–270
AugustineAD 354–430
Middle Ages500–1400
Boethiusc. 477–524
Huineng
Śaṅkara
al-Fārābīc. 872–950
Anselm of Canterbury1033–1109
al-Ghazālī1058–1111
Hildegard of Bingen
Ibn Tufaylc. 1105–1185
Averroes1126–1198
Kamo no Chōmei
Dōgen1200–1253
Rumi
Thomas Aquinas1225–1274
Dante Alighieri
Kenkō
Julian of Norwich
Renaissance1400–1600
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola1463–1494
Desiderius Erasmus1466–1536
Niccolò Machiavelli1469–1527
Wang Yangming
Thomas More1478–1535
Michel de Montaigne1533–1592
Early modern1600–1800
Francis Bacon1561–1626
Thomas Hobbes1588–1679
René Descartes1596–1650
François de La Rochefoucauld
Elisabeth of Bohemia1618–1680
Blaise Pascal1623–1662
Margaret Cavendish
Anne Conway1631–1679
John Locke1632–1704
- Second Treatise of GovernmentThe 1690 text, with a modern versionGovernment by consent, the right to property, and the right to revolution.English original · 4 hrs · Audiobook, 5 hr 2 min
- An Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingThe 1706 text, with a modern versionThe mind as a blank slate: where all our ideas come from.English original · 20 hrs · Audiobook, 27 hr 26 min
Baruch Spinoza1632–1677
- EthicsEthica ordine geometrico demonstrataGod or Nature, the mind and its emotions, and the way to freedom, set out like geometry.Latin · 7 hrs · Audiobook, 9 hr 36 min
- Theological-Political TreatiseTractatus theologico-politicusRead the Bible like nature, and let everyone think what they like: Spinoza's case for a free state.Latin · 8 hrs
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz1646–1716
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Mary Astell
George Berkeley1685–1753
Voltaire1694–1778
David Hume1711–1776
- A Treatise of Human NatureA Treatise of Human NatureImpressions, ideas, causation as habit, and reason as the slave of the passions.English original · 16 hrs · Audiobook, 21 hr 42 min
- An Enquiry Concerning Human UnderstandingThe 1777 text, with a modern versionWhat can experience actually teach us about cause and effect?English original · 4 hrs · Audiobook, 4 hr 49 min
- Dialogues Concerning Natural ReligionThe 1779 text, with a modern versionCan we infer God from the design of the world?English original · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 49 min
Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712–1778
- Discourse on InequalityDiscours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommesHow did inequality begin? The first man who fenced off a field and said “This is mine.”French · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 7 min
- The Social ContractDu contrat socialMan is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.French · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 4 hr 12 min
Adam Smith
Immanuel Kant1724–1804
- Critique of Pure ReasonKritik der reinen VernunftWhat can we know? Space, time, the categories, and the limits of reason.German · 16 hrs · Audiobook, 23 hr 46 min
- Prolegomena to Any Future MetaphysicsProlegomena zu einer jeden künftigen MetaphysikKant’s own short guide to the Critique of Pure Reason: how is metaphysics possible at all?German · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 4 hr 48 min
- What Is Enlightenment?Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung?Dare to use your own understanding.German · 15 min · Audiobook, 18 min
- Groundwork of the Metaphysics of MoralsGrundlegung zur Metaphysik der SittenThe good will, duty, and the categorical imperative.German · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 4 min
- Critique of Practical ReasonKritik der praktischen VernunftThe moral law, freedom, and the highest good: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.German · 5 hrs · Audiobook, 6 hr 27 min
- Toward Perpetual PeaceZum ewigen FriedenA philosophical plan for ending war between nations.German · 1.5 hrs · Audiobook, 1 hr 34 min
- Critique of JudgmentKritik der UrteilskraftThe beautiful, the sublime, and purpose in nature.German · 9 hrs · Audiobook, 12 hr 13 min
Edmund Burke
Mary Wollstonecraft1759–1797
19th century1800–1900
G. W. F. Hegel1770–1831
- Phenomenology of SpiritPhänomenologie des GeistesConsciousness climbing toward absolute knowing: sense-certainty, lordship and bondage, the unhappy consciousness.German · 14 hrs · Audiobook, 21 hr 48 min
- Philosophy of RightGrundlinien der Philosophie des RechtsFreedom made actual in family, civil society and the state; the owl of Minerva.German · 7 hrs · Audiobook, 9 hr 48 min
Arthur Schopenhauer1788–1860
Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882
Alexis de Tocqueville
John Stuart Mill1806–1873
- On LibertyThe 1859 text, with a modern versionThe case for free speech, and the only reason society may limit your freedom.English original · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 4 hr 33 min
- UtilitarianismThe 1863 text, with a modern versionThe greatest happiness principle, and why some pleasures are higher than others.English original · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 2 hr 40 min
Harriet Taylor Mill
Charles Darwin
Søren Kierkegaard1813–1855
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels1818–1883 and 1820–1895
Frederick Douglass
Leo Tolstoy1828–1910
Charles Sanders Peirce1839–1914
William James1842–1910
Friedrich Nietzsche1844–1900
- The Birth of TragedyDie Geburt der TragödieApollo and Dionysus, and why the Greeks needed tragedy.German · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 4 hr 55 min
- Thus Spoke ZarathustraAlso sprach ZarathustraGod is dead; the overman, the last man, and the eternal recurrence.German · 7 hrs · Audiobook, 9 hr 46 min
- Beyond Good and EvilJenseits von Gut und BöseThe will to power, master and slave morality, and the philosophers of the future.German · 5 hrs · Audiobook, 6 hr 59 min
- On the Genealogy of MoralityZur Genealogie der MoralWhere do good and evil come from? Master and slave morality, guilt, and the ascetic ideal.German · 4 hrs · Audiobook, 5 hr 31 min
- Twilight of the IdolsGötzen-DämmerungHow to philosophize with a hammer.German · 2 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 1 min
Gottlob Frege1848–1925
- The Foundations of ArithmeticDie Grundlagen der ArithmetikWhat is a number? The book that launched analytic philosophy.German · 3 hrs · Audiobook, 3 hr 55 min
- On Sense and ReferenceÜber Sinn und BedeutungThe morning star and the evening star: how words reach the world.German · 40 min · Audiobook, 56 min
Henri Poincaré1854–1912
Sigmund Freud1856–1939
Edmund Husserl1859–1938
Henri Bergson1859–1941
John Dewey1859–1952
20th century1900–
Alfred North Whitehead1861–1947
Max Weber1864–1920
Miguel de Unamuno1864–1936
Rudolf Otto1869–1937
M. K. Gandhi1869–1948
Nishida Kitarō1870–1945
Max Scheler1874–1928
Ludwig Wittgenstein1889–1951
Martin Heidegger1889–1976
Edith Stein1891–1942
Translations are made with AI (Claude), working from the original text, then edited. Each work says how far it has been reviewed. The original is always beside the English, so anyone can check it. Original texts are in the public domain; translations are free to reuse (CC BY-SA 4.0).