The Doctrine of the Mean is a text rich with symbolism and guidance to perfecting oneself. The person who follows the mean is on a path of duty and must never leave it. A superior person is cautious, a gentle teacher and shows no contempt for his or her inferiors.

On the defeat of Pharnaces and reduction of Africa, those who escaped from those battles fled to young Cn. Pompey, who had taken possession of Further Spain, while Caesar was detained in Italy in exhibiting games. Pompey began to throw himself on the protection of every state, in order the more readily to establish the means of defense against him. Accordingly, with a considerable force which had been collected, partly by entreaty, partly by force, he began to lay waste the province. Under these circumstances some states voluntarily sent him supplies, others shut the gates of their towns against him. If any of these chanced to fall into his hands by assault, although some citizen in it had deserved well of Cn. Pompey (his father), yet some cause was alleged against him on account of the greatness of his wealth, so that, he being dispatched, his fortune might become the reward of the soldiers.

While these things were going forward in Spain, Caius Trebonius, Caesar's lieutenant, who had been left to conduct the assault of Massilia, began to raise a mound, vineae, and turrets against the town, on two sides; one of which was next the harbor and docks, the other on that part where there is a passage from Gaul and Spain to that sea which forces itself up the mouth of the Rhone. For Massilia is washed almost on three sides by the sea, the remaining fourth part is the only side which has access by land.

The book “55 years of Thoughts & Meditations” is the result of the constant efforts, inquiries, reflections, thoughts and meditations of one man. All matters analysed derive from our everyday lives and include social, political, philosophical and love issues, as well as more general reflections on life. These matters are delivered in a thematic manner, which varies in both form and substance and is expressed in prose mainly, but also in poetic form. Many of the issues posed occur to every thinking person, who follows his/her own path on earth and who seeks answers and solutions to life’s problems: Why do nations engage in battle? Why do people fight? What makes human contact difficult? What are art and beauty? What are sciences and what are their true limits? Should we trust them? What is “wisdom” and “beauty” and which knowledge is truly worthwhile? Is there objective knowledge? What is the unique truth? Is there good and evil? What are the three ideals, “Love”, “Knowledge” and the “Truth”?So one morning, I began to gather and then document all my random thoughts, the remnants of everything that has triggered my observations, all the questions I have documented throughout my life and everything I had noted here and there and I turned it into a book of personal thoughts and meditations. This book is therefore the book of life, taken straight from life, rich with the reflec-tions of a lifetime. It is a book about life and is aimed at every thinking and honest reader with good intentions. This includes young readers who are gifted with the clarity of soul and are in a better position to be aware of the just and the beautiful. Fifty five years of thoughts and meditations is what this book is. It is a quest of “Love”, of “Knowledge” and of the “Truth”.

The Myth of Er is the epilogue of Plato’s Republic. It could be considered as an independent text that refers to the greatest philosophical question of all times."Where does our soul go when we die and where does it come from when we are born?"Socrates in order to give an answer that would lead to a safe conclusion connects the journey of our soul to the function of our planetary system and tries to analyze the following sacramental but also scientific issues:- What is the difference between a developed soul and a developed mind?- Why is the cultivation of virtues necessary?- Which are the three roads of Hades and their connection to the "Van Allen belts"?- How are the penalties and rewards to our soul defined?- Where is Tartarus?- What does the spindle of necessity symbolize?- How are space time and the "Cuiper belt" connected?- What does the existence of Sirens and the three fates mean?- What is the procedure our incarnation?- What contract do we sign before we reincarnate on planet earth?- Which is the role of free will?- What does the mystery of the Dionysial theatre symbolize?- What difference is there between reincarnation and metempsychosis?- What is Socrates’ genius or our guardian angel?

Apology presents the speech of self-defence given by Socrates in his trial for impiety and corruption specifically against the charges of corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel.

After an interval of some months or years, and at Phlius, a town of Peloponnesus, the tale of the last hours of Socrates is narrated to Echecrates and other Phliasians by Phaedo the beloved disciple. The Dialogue necessarily takes the form of a narrative, because Socrates has to be described acting as well as speaking. The minutest particulars of the event are interesting to distant friends, and the narrator has an equal interest in them.

Of all the writings of Plato the Timaeus is the most obscure and repulsive to the modern reader, and has nevertheless had the greatest influence over the ancient and mediaeval world. The obscurity arises in the infancy of physical science, out of the confusion of theological, mathematical, and physiological notions, out of the desire to conceive the whole of nature without any adequate knowledge of the parts, and from a greater perception of similarities which lie on the surface than of differences which are hidden from view.

The Ion is the shortest, or nearly the shortest, of all the writings which bear the name of Plato, and is not authenticated by any early external testimony. The grace and beauty of this little work supply the only, and perhaps a sufficient, proof of its genuineness. The plan is simple; the dramatic interest consists entirely in the contrast between the irony of Socrates and the transparent vanity and childlike enthusiasm of the rhapsode Ion.

The Confessions is an autobiographical work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau which initiated modern autobiography. Covering the first fifty-three years of Rousseau's life the book provides an account of the experiences that shaped his personality and ideas.

Cartea este o culegere de eseuri pe teme de istorie literar?, istoria ideilor ?i probleme generale de estetica artelor, toate acestea fiind abordate dintr-un accentuat unghi filozofic ?i ?tiin?ific deopotriv?.

Areopagitica is among history's most influential and impassioned philosophical defences of the principle of a right to freedom of speech and expression. Today, Areopagitica is regarded as one of the most eloquent defences of press freedom ever written – and as one of the most influential, because many of its expressed principles have formed the basis for modern justifications.

We have already discussed the first causes of nature, and all natural motion, also the stars ordered in the motion of the heavens, and the physical element-enumerating and specifying them and showing how they change into one another-and becoming and perishing in general. There remains for consideration a part of this inquiry which all our predecessors called meteorology. It is concerned with events that are natural, though their order is less perfect than that of the first of the elements of bodies. They take place in the region nearest to the motion of the stars. Such are the milky way, and comets, and the movements of meteors.

Elsewhere we have investigated in detail the movement of animals after their various kinds, the differences between them, and the reasons for their particular characters (for some animals fly, some swim, some walk, others move in various other ways); there remains an investigation of the common ground of any sort of animal movement whatsoever.

Aceasta este prima lucrare scris? ?n limba rom?n? care se concentreaz? asupra operei lui Thomas Kuhn, probabil cel mai influent filosof al ?tiin?ei din ultima jum?tate a secolului trecut. ?n particular, lucrarea analizeaz? ?n detaliu, ?ntr-o manier? original?, o idee foarte provocatoare a filosofului american, teza incomensurabilit??ii conceptuale, conform c?reia, ?n dezvoltarea cunoa?terii ?tiin?ifice, teoriile noi utilizeaz? un limbaj ireductibil la cel al teoriilor anterioare. Totodat?, lucrarea se apleac? ?ntr-o manier? sistematic? asupra conceptului de paradigm?, introdus de Kuhn, care avea s? fie utilizat ulterior pe scar? larg? ?n filosofie ?i ?tiin?ele sociale.

Lucrarea adun? eseuri filozofice ?i evoc? figuri de marc? ale culturii rom?ne.

innd seama de multiplele referiri la istorie, ct i de importana i relevana perspectivei temporal-istorice pentru orice alt tem, ajungem firesc la cardinalitatea istoriei n discursul lui Emil Cioran. n noianul tuturor temelor sale obsesive, istoria este o mega-tem, aflat n puternice raporturi cu celelalte. Aderena i entuziasmul pentru studiul problemelor de filosofia istoriei le gsim mrturisite nc de la nceputul traseului, n cteva scrisori ctre Bucur incu din anii ‘30. n acele scrisori vorbete de pasiune, de gndire spontan i personal, de adaptare natural asupra domeniului, i se arat ncredinat c, alturi de problemele de filosofia culturii i antropologiei filosofice, problemele de filosofia istoriei nu pot concepe c lea prsi vreodat. Dintre multiplele justificri ulterioare – opuse ca atitudine fa de cele din perioada iniial, dar care marcheaz aceeai aderen –, s punem dou n corelaie, scrise n ani apropiai, n care preocuparea pentru istorie este descris prin stri de dependen: slbiciune, sete, patim.“ – Ioan Costea

Avem o carte preponderent de sondare a mentalit??ii ruse, care este rezultatul unei radiografieri a societ??ii pe mai multe pali?ere, dintre care se deta?eaz? cel istoric ?i cel religios. (…) Rusia bolnav? este scris? ?n primii ani dup? evenimentele revolu?ionare din 1905?l907, ?n cursul c?rora autorul a avut o participare activ?, mai ales ?n ce prive?te punerea acestei revolu?ii sub semnul lui Hris?tos. Este o carte important? tocmai pentru c? oglinde?te deziluziile unei naturi pasiona?le, care, ?n centrul istoriei ?i al religiei, pune mereu fapta. Fire?te acum, dup? Arhipelagul lui Soljeni??n, pamfletele lui Merejkovski par simple exerci?ii de stil, ?nelibertatea” deza?vuat? ?n ele, Rusia ?arist? ca ??nchisoare a popoarelor” ap?r?nd chiar foarte apropiat? de ceea ce s?ar putea numi ?stat de drept”. ?n privin?a ?demasc?rii” ororilor contemporane?it??ii, putem spune c? – a?a cum au dovedit?o deceniile bol?evice – ?ntotdeauna este loc de mai r?u. (Emil Iordache)

Geli?mi?li?in ??karsamalar?nda ilk akla gelen ?l?üt, meden? olarak ilerleme kaydetti?ini iddi? eden, d??avurumcu insanlar toplulu?unun bencil yap?la?mas?ndan ge?mektedir. Ara?t?rmalar sonucunda elde edilebilen, g?rsel, i?itsel, yaz?l?, ar?iv v.b tüm veriler do?rultusunda ayd?nlat?lm?? ger?ekler düny?si mevcuttur. Asalak olarak hayata tutunmaya ?al??an, ?z bireyci katmanlar?n en alt?na indirgenmi? insan say?lan varl?klar?n, niteliksel ?zelliklerle ?a?a tutunmas? imk?nsizdir. "En ?ok ben kazanay?m." s?yleminden yola ??karak, rahatl?k ve konforun adresinde bulu?an simbiyoz ya?ant?lar?n; ?a?d??? kalm??, kendi dü?üncesi h?ricindekileri yok sayan, ?ok katmanl? yüzeysel düny?s?nda gezinmenin verdi?i ferahl?k, bir?ok insan? cezbederek, ?ekilsiz ya?ant? portrelerini bilfiil olu?turmu?tur. Dü?ünceleri ve mevc?diyeti ?imento ile kaplanan nesillerin, zenginlik saltanat?na ayak ba?? olmas?ndan korkan erkin, katmerli yapt?r?mlar? bulunmaktad?r. D??s?z kalm?? medeniyetin, ??karsamalarla dolu ??karc? düny?s?nda, kendine en ufak bir yer edinimini ba?ar? sayan birey, ya?ant? düny?sinin ger?ek yüzeyine ula?t??? i?in mutlu olmal? m?d?r? G?rülen ve g?sterilen, verilen, yapt?r?lan tüm edimlerin ve edinimlerin, do?rultusunda, bireyin ??karc? sistem adamlar? ile yapt??? yolculu?a dikkat etmesi gerekir. Ritüel h?line gelmi?, paradoksal d?ngüde her d?im ba?lad??? yerden farkl? bir sona ula?mas? gereken yolculu?u yapan bireyin de, beklentisi bu olan macer?s?nda, üzüntü ve yenilgi verici sonucun, ayn? ?ekilde ikinci, ü?üncü defa ger?ekle?mesi ve ?o?u insan?n, bunun fark?ndal???nda olmay???n?n verdi?i bocalamayla ge?en ?mrünün c?resizli?inde ??rp?nmas? ve bo?ulmas? an meselesidir. Yapt?r?mlar yapt?r?mlar?, bilgisizlik ve c?hillik yeni olu?umlar? tetikleyecektir. ?nemli olan her insan?n asl?nda bir paradoks denkleminde, paradoks yolunda oldu?unu bilmesi ve ba?lad??? noktaya geldi?inde, nas?l bir düzenin i?erisinde ritüel yapt???n?n fark?nda olmas? gerekmektedir. Naz?re davran??lar?, sistem i?erisinde en az?ndan denemek, ayn? dü?üncede bulunan insanlar? bir araya getirmek ?artt?r. Ulusal bilincin her d?im uyan?k tutulmas?, paradokslarla sava??n en mükemmel ?rneklerinden birini olu?turacakt?r. ?nsan?n kat etti?i yol da, bu s?yede dünden kopu?un de?il, yar?n?n güvence alt?na al?nmas?n? tetikleyecektir. Yar?n? güvence alt?na al?nan bireyler de; kof, mesnetsiz, yalan ve riy?karl??a dayal? sistemleri ??kertme ve kendi hastal?kl? sistemlerini dayatmaya ?al??an ?o?unlu?un, katmerli ezici üstünlü?ü alt?nda direni? g?stermenin, mutlak gayreti i?erisinde olacakt?r. ?nsan?n yahut insanl???n bu eylemi ger?ekle?tirmeye ?al??mas?n?, en az?ndan denemesini diliyorum. N??M ONUR TEZMEN, 2013 MUSTAFA VE AY?E Mustafa’ya g?re; canl?lar?n, kompleks ya?am süreci i?erisinde, kabullenebilir davran?? grafi?ini topluma uydurmak ve o uyumu devam ettirme g?revi, bireysel sorumluluk gerektirmekteydi. Toplum i?erisindeki statüsünü belirleyen birtak?m rolleri üstlenen bireyin, davran?? biliminde girece?i rollerin karma?as?na kap?lmadan, gerekli ve ?l?ülü davran??, sosyal bilim do?rulu?u vey? bu do?rulu?a en yak?n olmay? gerektiren tüm birle?imler; bireyin ?zünü, karakterini ve bili?sel zek?sini olu?turmaktayd?. En az?ndan Mustafa'n?n dü?ünceleri ?????nda, akl?n? yordu?u; bilgi, kültür, gelenek ve g?renek birikimi ile a??klamas? buydu. Varolu?unun aksine, ayn? y?nde kürek ?ekmesine ba?l? olan ya?amsal uzamda, kendi do?ruluk pay?n? olu?turmas? ve bu pay?, ?evresindeki insanlara sunmas?, ona zevkli bir hus? veriyordu. Mustafa’ya g?re bilgelik, kazan?lan tecrübelerle birlikte, birikimlerin, paralel vey? ayn? düzlem i?erisinde hareket ettirebilmenin yoluydu. Bundan ??karacak ders de, birine bir do?ruyu empoze etmeden, ikn? k?biliyetini, ki?inin benzer birle?imlerinde ivme kazanan ara?lar gibi haz?rlamak ve var??a ondan ?nce vararak, kendi do?rusunun en yak?n bile?enine, kar??s?ndaki insan? ?ekebilmekti.

Elveink nem tudnak olyan szilárdak lenni, mint naiv pillanatainkban gondolnánk, mert világunkat az érzelmek, az értelem és a hit folyton változó egyensúlya tartja ?ssze. Az ember hajlamos nagy titkokat sejteni ott, ahol egyszer?en csak nagyobb er?k m?k?dnek, mint amiket uralni tud. Azonnal a nagy titkot keresi, amikor kiemelked? tehetségekkel találkozik, amikor a hit alapvet? kérdéseit firtatja, amikor a saját érzelmeit vizsgálja, és akkor is, amikor a tudomány eszk?zeivel igyekszik mélyebben megérteni a világot. Pedig: ?A nagy titok az, hogy nincs titok”. ?j k?nyvében Mér? László az elvek, az érzelmek, a hit és a tudomány erejét valamint korlátait járja k?rül. A csattanós, “?tperces” esszék felvillantják a témák kül?nféle arcait a mindennapi életben, a hosszabbak pedig bemutatják, mit tett mindehhez a modern pszichológia.

La acest ?nceput de secol XXI, ?n ?ntreaga lume se intensific? studierea problemelor fundamentale, eterne, ca via?a ?i moartea, rostul vie?ii, originile ?i destina?iile noastre ultime, c?t ?i ?ntrebarea cu privire la existen?a de dup? moarte. Cartea examineaz? filosofia de via?? a budismului Nichiren ?n lumina ideilor de ultim? or? despre via?? ?i moarte, de?i cuprinderea exhaustiv? ?ntr?un singur volum a unei probleme at?t de vaste este imposibil?. Budismul Nichiren ofer? oamenilor mijloacele de a??i transforma destinele prin ?nf?ptuirea propriei revolu?ii umane individuale ?i dezv?luie calea spre pace ?i fericire.