范仲淹主持的庆历新政，是以整饬吏治为首要，以改革科举、兴办学校、砥砺士风、培养人才为本源，兼及经济和军事等领域。虽然其整饬吏治仅及一年就夭折了，但其改革科举、兴办学校、砥砺士风、培养人才则对以后宋学的发展产生了深远的影响。 范仲淹门下多延贤士，如胡瑗、孙复、石介、李觏等皆与之从游。庆历之际，学统四起。三苏的蜀学、王安石的新学、周敦颐的濂学、张载的关学和二程的洛学等，都与范仲淹及庆历新政有着密切的关系。宋儒的“内圣”与“外王”是相贯通的。南宋理学时代，与其称为“后王安石时代”，不如称为“后范仲淹时代”。

本书从抱怨的危害出发，以励志而暖心的有关人生经历的故事给你勇气和力量，让你改变自己，改变世界，与更好的生活相遇，教会人们摒弃抱怨，努力改变，在漫漫黑夜中努力坚持，在艰难的日子里恬静安然，感受到快乐和幸福。

　　坎贝尔是一名在神话的奇妙世界中寻找启示的文化英雄，他创造性地将人文价值及宇宙性的精神体验，注当代科学及艺术的诠释中，不仅丰富了神话学的研究领域，更为人类未来的新神话辟出辽阔的想象空间。在本书中，他将文学、哲学、心理学、人类学、考古学等知识应用到对神话的解读，并将神话思维应用到对人类历史、东西方文明、战争与和平等人类共同面临的问题的解读中。他用超越人类社会中各种幻象冲突的真理贯通了古今中外的智慧，他认为神话在个人与社会，社会与自然的融合过程中，尤其是人回归内在的过程中，起到的作用可以被无限放大。他告诉人们：生命的目标，在于使身体脉动契合宇宙的脉动，使自己的本性契合大自然。 　　本书是坎贝尔很重要的一本著作，精选自他在库珀联盟联盟学院论坛的演讲，汇集了他一生重要的学术思想，他用亲近大众的语言、独特的表达方式和热情洋溢的情感感染着聆听者。他在书中不仅剖析了科学对神话的影响，纵论人类的发展历史和东西方文化的邂逅和碰撞，探寻人们内心的回归旅程，而且还引导人们认识了大自然、地球和宇宙外太空。 　　读者通过这本书不仅可以经历历史上人类精神的一次次伟大飞跃，而且也可以行一次由外在世界到我们内心深处奥秘知识的深探索。正如坎贝尔所说：人会找到数千年走来的路。在这一刻，个人在神话与梦境中永生

《中庸》乃儒家经典之一，是有关人生哲学之书，是修己用世的*道德标准，是指导人们行人生时间的理论教科书。中庸》的核心是中庸之道，即忠恕之道，其行为准则是：“君惠臣忠”“父慈子孝”“夫义妇顺”“兄友弟恭”“朋友有信”，从而达到“中庸”的和谐境界。

Via?a fiec?ruia dintre noi se desf??oar? pe fundalul unor nara?iuni?sau teorii filosofice discrete ?i insesizabile, care ne ofer? sens ?i ne ?ndrum? ?n momentele de cump?n?.Au o istorie fascinant? ?i uneori extrem de agitat?, care st? m?rturie?pentru str?daniile noastre de a ?n?elege lumea ?i de a o transforma ?ntr-un mediu familiar.Cartea de fa?? ne prezint? istoriile a trei dintre aceste nara?iuni,?cunoscute mai mult filosofilor, cu toate c? ele ?ncearc? s? ofere r?spuns?la ?ntreb?ri tulbur?toare ?i de?o importan?? cov?r?itoare pentru?noi to?i: de ce exist? lumea, ?n ce const? identitatea persoanei, ce?este realitatea.

Via?a marelui g?nditor german, supranumit sihastrul de la Sils Maria a fost plin? de str?lucire dar ?i de aspecte mai pu?in cunoscute publicului larg. ?ntre ace?tia se num?r? patima fa?? de muzic? a autorului ?tiin?ei vesele ?i A?a gr?ita Zarathustra dar ?i rela?ia de formare ?i de profund? iubire avut? cu Richard Wagner ?i so?ia sa, minunata Cosima – prezen?e vii ?n aceast? monografie eseistic?, ce con?ine fragmente din coresponden?a acestor mon?tri sacri ai culturii universale, coresponden?? ?n urma lecturii c?reia te alegi cu o imagine calda, expresiv?.

Un mare vinovat f?r? vin?, sihastrul de la Sils-Maria a dinamitat g?ndirea secolului al XIX-lea, figur?nd – al?turi de Dostoievski – printre uria?ii profe?i ai omenirii, care au proorocit nenorocirile ce-au urmat, crimele ?n numele unei idei, rasismul, precum ?i devastatorul totalitarism ro?u. Dincolo de bine ?i de r?u e una dintre capodoperele g?nditorului de la na?terea c?ruia se va s?rb?tori ?n toamna anului 2014 (15 octombrie) 170 de ani.

One of the greatest works of philosophy, political theory, and literature ever produced, Plato’s Republic has shaped Western thought for thousands of years, and remains as relevant today as when it was written during the fourth century B.C.Republic begins by posing a central question: "What is justice, and why should we be just, especially when the wicked often seem happier and more successful?" For Plato, the answer lies with the ways people, groups, and institutions organize and behave. A brilliant inquiry into the problems of constructing the perfect state, and the roles education, the arts, family, and religion should play in our lives, Republic employs picturesque settings, sharply outlined characters, and conversational dialogue to drive home the philosopher’s often provocative arguments.Highly regarded as one of the most accurate renderings of Plato's Republic that has yet been published, this widely acclaimed work is the first strictly literal translation of a timeless classic. This Special Collector's Edition includes a new introduction by Prof. Colin Kant, PH.D, a noted Platonian and Socratic scholar.

O parte dintre noi au tr?it vremuri grele pe care uneori le mai vis?m, le povestim sau despre care scriem ?nc?, f?r? patima cumplit? care i-a cuprins pe profitorii de atunci, care ?i ast?zi ne fac r?u, ?i chiar mai r?u dec?t ?pe vremea aceea“, cum se zice. E drept c? noi am prev?zut-o ?ntr-un fel sau altul, spun?nd-o celor care se-ncumetau s? ne asculte, f?r? preten?ia, Doamne, fere?te!, de a ne considera ?i disiden?i, cum o f?cur? cei men?iona?i mai sus. Previziunile noastre s-au bazat pe o anume cunoa?tere a mersului istoriei, care, cum se ?tie, se tot repet?, cu mici deosebiri, fire?te. Oricum, ceva cuno?tin?e de economie politic? nu ne stric? nici ?n zilele noastre, pentru a ne da seama de jocul frecvent al trecerii de la economia politic? la politica economic? ?i, mai ales, al trecerilor de la un sistem sau or?nduire economic? la alta ?i invers, cum le-am tr?it noi: de la capitalism la socialism ?i viceversa. Ca un fel de ciud??enie, au r?mas considera?iunile despre noul eon sau noua er? (New Age) ale filosofului din Lancr?m, mai ales c? acestea s-au realizat abia dup? c?derea comunismului, pe care n-o mai prev?zuse Blaga. (Alexandru Surdu) Eseuri filosofice de acela?i autor 1. Voca?ii filosofice rom?ne?ti, Editura Aca?de?miei Rom?ne, Bucure?ti, 1995, 216 p.; edi??ia a II-a, Editura Ardealul, T?rgu-Mure?, 2003, 206 p. 2. Confluen?e cultural-filosofice, Editura Pai?de?ia, Bucure?ti, 2002, 219 p. 3. M?rturiile anamnezei, Editura Paideia, Bu?cu?re?ti, 2004, 193 p. 4. Comentarii la rostirea filosofic?, Editura Kron-Art, Bra?ov, 2009, 186 p. 5. Izvoare de filosofie rom?neasc?, Editura Biblioteca Bucure?tilor, Bucure?ti, 2010, 171 p.; edi?ia a II-a, Editura Renaissance, Bucu?re?ti, 2011, 161 p. 6. A sufletului rom?nesc cinstire, Editura Re?naissance, Bucure?ti, 2011, 197 p. 7. Pietre de poticnire, Editura Ardealul, T?r?gu-Mure?, 2014, 179 p.

Scriitorul francez Xavier de Maistre (1763-1852) este fratele mai mic ?i mai pu?in celebru al g?nditorului Joseph de Maistre. Ironist fin ?i amator de filosofie, el ??i invit? cititorul ?ntr-o c?l?torie prin propria camer?, prilejuit? de cele ?ase s?pt?m?ni de arest cu care a fost pedepsit pentru participarea la un duel. Umorul ?i ingeniozitatea fac din acest text aparent banal o critic? spumoas? ?i fascinant? a viciilor umane ?i sociale bogat ?i expresiv ilustrate de contemporanii autorului ?i ai cititorului deopotriv?. Leprosul din Cetatea Aosta, un text prea pu?in semnificativ ca dimensiuni, constituie ?i el una dintre cele mai mi?c?toare incursiuni ?n arcanele condi?iei umane.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) este unul dintre p?rin?ii liberalismului ?n g?ndirea politic?. Textele de fa?? reprezint? cel mai important segment din Leviathan - cea mai important? lucrare a lui Hobbes, scris? ?n 1651, care poate fi considerat pe bun? dreptate punctul de pornire al trecerii de la sabie la cuv?nt ca principal? arm? ?n politic?. Cititorul poate descoperi ?n aceste pagini un filosof care s-a aplecat asupra temei societ??ii cum pu?ini au f?cut-o ?nainte de secolul XX, ?ntruc?t acesta este ?miezul fierbinte“ al g?ndirii hobbesiene, pe care arhicunoscutele sintagme ?starea de natur?“ ?i bellum omnium contra omnes nu au reu?it niciodat? s?-l scoat? la iveal?.

Numele lui Comenius s-a ?nscris ?n istoria literaturii cehe ?i universale prin cea mai important? lucrare a sa de beletristic?, romanul alegoric Labirintul lumii ?i raiul inimii. Cartea cuprinde dou? p?r?i. ?n prima, Labirintul lumii, este ?nf??i?at? alegoric lumea sub forma unui ora? medieval, amintind de un labirint pe care ?l parcurge c?l?torul-povestitor. ?n cea de-a doua parte, Raiul inimii, c?l?torul se retrage dezam?git ?n l?ca?ul inimii sale, unde ?l ?nt?lne?te pe Dumnezeu, iar credin?a ?i aduce pacea ?i alinarea. C?l?torul este de fapt reprezentarea alegoric? a curiozit??ii omene?ti; el str?bate ora?ul-lume c?ut?ndu-?i o ?ndeletnicire pl?cut? sufletului ?i trupului.Labirintul lumii ?i raiul inimii face parte din a?a-numita serie de scrieri de consolare, prin care Comenius ?ncerca s? arate c? destinul oamenilor este condus prin dreapta decizie a lui Dumnezeu. Romanul este considerat de critica literar? ceh? ca fiind cea mai reu?it? lucrare a literaturii vechi, cel mai frecvent tip?rit? p?n? ?n zilele noastre.

Cartea publicat? ?n 1983 este ?mp?r?it? ?n cinci p?r?i (ce cuprind treisprezece capitole). Fiecare capitol este constituit dintr-un dialog sau dialoguri, povestiri sau ra?ionamente ce abordeaz?, ?n general, paradoxuri, probleme de filosofie, logic? ?i matematic?. Printre temele redate ?n aceast? lucrare se num?r? problema p?catului ?i a virtu?ii (capitolul 4, intitulat ,,O ?ntrebare“), percep?ia ?i reprezentarea realit??ii (capitolul 7 ,,O fantezie minte-corp“), ontologia (capitolul 10 ,,Ce este existen?a?“), solipsismul (capitolul 12 ,,Solipsismul luminat“), problema adev?rului (capitolul 1 ,,De ce spui adev?rul?“ ?i capitolul 2 ,,O problem?“), problema vie?ii ?i a mor?ii (capitolul 9 ,,Zen de via?? ?i de moarte“). Lucrarea se remarc? printr-o formul? dens? ?i, ?n egal? m?sur?, elegant?, care ?i permite autorului s? prezinte chestiuni de altfel complexe ?n c?teva pagini revelatoare, prin povestiri sau dialoguri, f?r? a-?i plictisi cititorii. Ca ?ntr-un num?r de magie, art? de care autorul nu este str?in, publicul este atras ?i captivat de aparenta simplitate ?i ingeniozitate a ra?ionamentelor expuse. Probabil, ceea ce face cartea mai u?or de citit este atitudinea autorului, tonul s?u glume?, ludic ?n cea mai mare parte din cele 200 de pagini. Putem ilustra aceast? idee prin c?teva exemple. ?n cadrul capitolului 3, denumit ,,C?teva fragmente“, Raymond Smullyan poveste?te c? le-ar fi declarat studen?ilor ?n timpul unui examen c? dac? ei ?i-ar da cuv?ntul de onoare c? nu vor copia, atunci el ?i-ar da cuv?ntul c? nu va raporta mai departe dac? ei ar ?ncerca s? copieze. Cineva l-ar fi ?ntrebat la un moment dat dac? crede ?n astrologie. El a r?spuns c? nu crede ?n astrologie deoarece este ?n zodia Gemeni. Lista de propozi?ii care se contrazic singure, a lui Saul Gorn, un specialist ?n informatic?, pe care Smullyan le citeaz?, reprezint? ?i ele o mostr? de umor. Printre acestea se reg?sesc afirma?ii precum: ,,?nainte de a ?ncepe s? vorbesc, a? vrea s? v? spun ceva.“, ,,Jum?tate dintre minciunile pe care ei le spun despre mine sunt adev?rate.“ sau ,,Te ai dep??it pe tine ?nsu?i, ca de obicei.“

De?i frecvent contestat f?r? s? fie citit, Karl Marx r?m?ne a fi unul dintre cei mai importan?i g?nditori ai omenirii, r?u ?n?eles ?i, ?n ciuda celebrit??ii sale, r?u cunoscut; selec?ia – prima de dup? 1990 – f?cut? de marele c?rturar Ion Iano?i demonstreaz? r?spicat acest lucru.

More’s “Utopia” was written in Latin, and is in two parts, of which the second, describing the place ([Greek text]—or Nusquama, as he called it sometimes in his letters—“Nowhere”), was probably written towards the close of 1515; the first part, introductory, early in 1516. The book was first printed at Louvain, late in 1516, under the editorship of Erasmus, Peter Giles, and other of More’s friends in Flanders. It was then revised by More, and printed by Frobenius at Basle in November, 1518. It was reprinted at Paris and Vienna, but was not printed in England during More’s lifetime. Its first publication in this country was in the English translation, made in Edward’s VI.’s reign (1551) by Ralph Robinson. It was translated with more literary skill by Gilbert Burnet, in 1684, soon after he had conducted the defence of his friend Lord William Russell, attended his execution, vindicated his memory, and been spitefully deprived by James II. of his lectureship at St. Clement’s. Burnet was drawn to the translation of “Utopia” by the same sense of unreason in high places that caused More to write the book. Burnet’s is the translation given in this volume. The name of the book has given an adjective to our language—we call an impracticable scheme Utopian. Yet, under the veil of a playful fiction, the talk is intensely earnest, and abounds in practical suggestion. It is the work of a scholarly and witty Englishman, who attacks in his own way the chief political and social evils of his time. Beginning with fact, More tells how he was sent into Flanders with Cuthbert Tunstal, “whom the king’s majesty of late, to the great rejoicing of all men, did prefer to the office of Master of the Rolls;” how the commissioners of Charles met them at Bruges, and presently returned to Brussels for instructions; and how More then went to Antwerp, where he found a pleasure in the society of Peter Giles which soothed his desire to see again his wife and children, from whom he had been four months away. Then fact slides into fiction with the finding of Raphael Hythloday (whose name, made of two Greek words [Greek text] and [Greek text], means “knowing in trifles”), a man who had been with Amerigo Vespucci in the three last of the voyages to the new world lately discovered, of which the account had been first printed in 1507, only nine years before Utopia was written. Designedly fantastic in suggestion of details, “Utopia” is the work of a scholar who had read Plato’s “Republic,” and had his fancy quickened after reading Plutarch’s account of Spartan life under Lycurgus. Beneath the veil of an ideal communism, into which there has been worked some witty extravagance, there lies a noble English argument. Sometimes More puts the case as of France when he means England. Sometimes there is ironical praise of the good faith of Christian kings, saving the book from censure as a political attack on the policy of Henry VIII. Erasmus wrote to a friend in 1517 that he should send for More’s “Utopia,” if he had not read it, and “wished to see the true source of all political evils.” And to More Erasmus wrote of his book, “A burgomaster of Antwerp is so pleased with it that he knows it all by heart.” Sir Thomas More, son of Sir John More, a justice of the King’s Bench, was born in 1478, in Milk Street, in the city of London. After his earlier education at St. Anthony’s School, in Threadneedle Street, he was placed, as a boy, in the household of Cardinal John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor. It was not unusual for persons of wealth or influence and sons of good families to be so established together in a relation of patron and client. The youth wore his patron’s livery, and added to his state. The patron used, afterwards, his wealth or influence in helping his young client forward in the world.

Among the notable books of later times-we may say, without exaggeration, of all time--must be reckoned The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau. It deals with leading personages and transactions of a momentous epoch, when absolutism and feudalism were rallying for their last struggle against the modern spirit, chiefly represented by Voltaire, the Encyclopedists, and Rousseau himself--a struggle to which, after many fierce intestine quarrels and sanguinary wars throughout Europe and America, has succeeded the prevalence of those more tolerant and rational principles by which the statesmen of our own day are actuated. On these matters, however, it is not our province to enlarge; nor is it necessary to furnish any detailed account of our author's political, religious, and philosophic axioms and systems, his paradoxes and his errors in logic: these have been so long and so exhaustively disputed over by contending factions that little is left for even the most assiduous gleaner in the field. The inquirer will find, in Mr. John Money's excellent work, the opinions of Rousseau reviewed succinctly and impartially. The 'Contrat Social', the 'Lattres Ecrites de la Montagne', and other treatises that once aroused fierce controversy, may therefore be left in the repose to which they have long been consigned, so far as the mass of mankind is concerned, though they must always form part of the library of the politician and the historian. One prefers to turn to the man Rousseau as he paints himself in the remarkable work before us. That the task which he undertook in offering to show himself--as Persius puts it--'Intus et in cute', to posterity, exceeded his powers, is a trite criticism; like all human enterprises, his purpose was only imperfectly fulfilled; but this circumstance in no way lessens the attractive qualities of his book, not only for the student of history or psychology, but for the intelligent man of the world. Its startling frankness gives it a peculiar interest wanting in most other autobiographies. Many censors have elected to sit in judgment on the failings of this strangely constituted being, and some have pronounced upon him very severe sentences. Let it be said once for all that his faults and mistakes were generally due to causes over which he had but little control, such as a defective education, a too acute sensitiveness, which engendered suspicion of his fellows, irresolution, an overstrained sense of honour and independence, and an obstinate refusal to take advice from those who really wished to befriend him; nor should it be forgotten that he was afflicted during the greater part of his life with an incurable disease. Lord Byron had a soul near akin to Rousseau's, whose writings naturally made a deep impression on the poet's mind, and probably had an influence on his conduct and modes of thought: In some stanzas of 'Childe Harold' this sympathy is expressed with truth and power; especially is the weakness of the Swiss philosopher's character summed up in the following admirable lines: "Here the self-torturing sophist, wild Rousseau, The apostle of affliction, he who threw Enchantment over passion, and from woe Wrung overwhelming eloquence, first drew The breath which made him wretched; yet he knew How to make madness beautiful, and cast O'er erring deeds and thoughts a heavenly hue Of words, like sunbeams, dazzling as they passed The eyes, which o'er them shed tears feelingly and fast. "His life was one long war with self-sought foes, Or friends by him self-banished; for his mind Had grown Suspicion's sanctuary, and chose, For its own cruel sacrifice, the kind, 'Gainst whom he raged with fury strange and blind. But he was frenzied,-wherefore, who may know? Since cause might be which skill could never find; But he was frenzied by disease or woe To that worst pitch of all, which wears a reasoning show."

Potere, cortigianeria, dispotismo, libertà, uguaglianza... attuali o inattuali la satira d'Holbach e La Boétie? Cambiano i tempi e i nomi, ma la natura umana nel suo fondo negli ultimi secoli non è mutata. Com'è virtù di tutti i classici, le loro voci continuano a farci sorridere, indignare e riflettere non solo sul passato ma ugualmente sul presente e sul futuro, su quanto in esso ci possa essere di desiderabile o indesiderabile. In Appendice, i testi si possono leggere anche nella loro originaria edizione in francese. SOMMARIO?- Fabrizio Pinna, Una introduzione (in due tempi) e qualche digressione: I. Barone d'Holbach, "Quest'arte sublime dello strisciare"...; II. ?tienne de La Boétie, "Siate determinati di non voler più servire ed eccovi liberi"... . LIBERT? & POTERE: Paul Henri Thiry d'Holbach, Saggio sull'arte di strisciare ad uso dei cortigiani; Paul Henri Thiry d'Holbach, I Cortigiani; Jean le Rond d'Alembert, Cortigiano; ?tienne de La Boétie, La servitù volontaria. APPENDICE I: Libertà Uguaglianza (1799)- Il Cittadino Editore. APPENDICE II: Essai sur l’art de ramper, à l’usage des courtisans (1764) - Paul Henri Thiry d'Holbach; Des Courtisans (1773) - Paul Henri Thiry d'Holbach; Courtisan (1752) / Courtisane (1754) - Jean le Rond d'Alembert; Discours de la servitude volontaire o Contr'un (1549) - ?tienne de La Boétie.?LE COLLANE IN/DEFINIZIONI & CON(TRO)TESTI

《金刚经》只有五千多字，本书分为三十二分，放弃传统的逐句解说，以宏观的角度贯穿全经的架构，每一分都设立纲目提要，阐述此分的意趣所在。各分各有其主题独立，但都不偏离“金刚般若”的丝缕经纬。

对中国禅学的历史脉络做了导览式的介绍，将其演化历程行了分期研究。

The Republic (Greek: Politeia) is a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning the definition of (justice), the order and character of the just city-state and the just man, reason by which ancient readers used the name On Justice as an alternative title (not to be confused with the spurious dialogue also titled On Justice). The dramatic date of the dialogue has been much debated and though it must take place some time during the Peloponnesian War, "there would be jarring anachronisms if any of the candidate specific dates between 432 and 404 were assigned". It is Plato's best-known work and has proven to be one of the most intellectually and historically influential works of philosophy and political theory. In it, Socrates along with various Athenians and foreigners discuss the meaning of justice and examine whether or not the just man is happier than the unjust man by considering a series of different cities coming into existence "in speech", culminating in a city (Kallipolis) ruled by philosopher-kings; and by examining the nature of existing regimes. The participants also discuss the theory of forms, the immortality of the soul, and the roles of the philosopher and of poetry in society. Short Summary (Epilogue):X.1—X.8. 595a—608b. Rejection of Mimetic ArtX.9—X.11. 608c—612a. Immortality of the SoulX.12. 612a—613e. Rewards of Justice in LifeX.13—X.16. 613e—621d. Judgment of the Dead The paradigm of the city — the idea of the Good, the Agathon — has manifold historical embodiments, undertaken by those who have seen the Agathon, and are ordered via the vision. The centre piece of the Republic, Part II, nos. 2–3, discusses the rule of the philosopher, and the vision of the Agathon with the allegory of the cave, which is clarified in the theory of forms. The centre piece is preceded and followed by the discussion of the means that will secure a well-ordered polis (City). Part II, no. 1, concerns marriage, the community of people and goods for the Guardians, and the restraints on warfare among the Hellenes. It describes a partially communistic polis. Part II, no. 4, deals with the philosophical education of the rulers who will preserve the order and character of the city-state.In Part II, the Embodiment of the Idea, is preceded by the establishment of the economic and social orders of a polis (Part I), followed by an analysis (Part III) of the decline the order must traverse. The three parts compose the main body of the dialogues, with their discussions of the “paradigm”, its embodiment, its genesis, and its decline.The Introduction and the Conclusion are the frame for the body of the Republic. The discussion of right order is occasioned by the questions: “Is Justice better than Injustice?” and “Will an Unjust man fare better than a Just man?” The introductory question is balanced by the concluding answer: “Justice is preferable to Injustice”. In turn, the foregoing are framed with the Prologue (Book I) and the Epilogue (Book X). The prologue is a short dialogue about the common public doxai (opinions) about “Justice”. Based upon faith, and not reason, the Epilogue describes the new arts and the immortality of the soul. ? About Author: Plato (Greek: Platon, " 428/427 or 424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his most-famous student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him, although 15–18 of them have been contested. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts. Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, religion and mathematics. Plato is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. His writings related to the Theory of Forms, or Platonic ideals, are basis for Platonism. ? Early lifeThe exact time and place of Plato's birth are not known, but it is certain that he belonged to an aristocratic and influential family. Based on ancient sources, most modern scholars believe that he was born in Athens or Aegina between 429 and 423 BC. His father was Ariston. According to a disputed tradition, reported by Diogenes Laertius, Ariston traced his descent from the king of Athens, Codrus, and the king of Messenia, Melanthus. Plato's mother was Perictione, whose family boasted of a relationship with the famous Athenian lawmaker an

《星云禅话》系为佛光山山宗长星云大师应各方对于禅的需渴反应，将刊载于报纸的“星云禅话”编集成书。该书从已出版的禅话一至四集，精心选辑了一百三十二则公案，希望透过生活性、人间性的“禅话”，为忙碌、紧张的今日社会，投下一剂清凉散。