Philosophy
One book, one question a day
The Analects
Have I treated the people I met today with utmost sincerity?
EAST-ASIAMeditations
Am I wasting unnecessary emotions on things outside of my control?
EUROPEZhuangzi
Is the right answer I firmly believe in truly a universal truth outside my own narrow well?
EAST-ASIACritique of Pure Reason
Is what we believe we know the truth, or merely an illusion created by our cognitive framework?
EUROPEEnchiridion
Are you losing your peace of mind over things that are entirely out of your control?
EUROPEEthics
Is the sorrow or anger you feel truly yours, or is it a passive emotion imposed from the outside?
EUROPEBeyond Good and Evil
Are you ready to create your own values beyond the morals and norms set by the world?
EUROPELetters from a Stoic
Did I live today fully, as if it were the last day of my life?
EUROPEOn Duties
When my personal interest conflicts with moral duty, which path do I choose?
EUROPEThe Symposium
Do you love the mere outward appearance of a person, or the essence of their soul?
EUROPEMeditations on First Philosophy
Is what you believe to be undeniably true truly real, or an illusion?
EUROPEPhaedo
If approaching death is not the end, is there anything more important than cultivating the soul?
EUROPELiezi
What is the secret to freedom from the world's vain entanglements, as if flying on a strong wind?
EAST-ASIANicomachean Ethics
Through the trivial habits repeated every day, what kind of person am I becoming?
EUROPEEnchiridion
Is the problem bothering me right now something I can control, or something beyond my control?
EUROPEMozi
Can unconditional, universal love overcome prejudice and the root causes of conflict in the world?
EAST-ASIATreatise on Tolerance
Can I genuinely respect others who hold beliefs profoundly different from my own?
EUROPEThe Praise of Folly
Is the obsession with being perfect actually making my life barren?
EUROPESymposium
Are you loving the superficial shell of the other, or the eternal beauty beyond it?
EUROPEPensées
Before the endless universe, how can I, a small and fragile being, achieve true greatness through the power of thought?
EUROPEFear and Trembling
Do I have the courage to stand alone toward my absolute belief, transcending mere social ethics?
EUROPEA Treatise of Human Nature
Is reason truly the master that guides our lives, or is it merely a slave to our passions?
EUROPEOn the Shortness of Life
Have I used this precious time given to me today entirely for my own true life?
EUROPEA Treatise of Human Nature
Could the rational judgments I firmly believe in actually be illusions created by my emotions and habits?
EUROPEMencius
How does my heart react when I see someone pushed to the edge in a world driven by profit?
EAST-ASIANovum Organum
What are the idols in my mind that cloud my judgment and prevent me from seeing the truth?
EUROPEThe Symposium
When I love someone, do I yearn beyond their physical beauty for the maturation of their soul?
EUROPEThe World as Will and Representation
Have you ever confronted the blind, restless yearning within that constantly drives you forward?
EUROPEPensées
Am I constantly trying to forget myself with something out of the fear of solitude?
EUROPEDiscourses
Are you clearly distinguishing between what is within your control and what is not?
EUROPEThe Consolation of Philosophy
What is the one value that can never be taken away, even when I lose everything and am trapped in darkness?
EUROPEMozi
Can my love extend beyond my family and group to reach strangers?
EAST-ASIACritique of Pure Reason
Is the knowledge I believe in the true nature of the world, or an illusion created by my cognitive framework?
EUROPEThus Spoke Zarathustra
If my life were to repeat eternally, would I willingly choose to live this exact life all over again?
EUROPEDao De Jing
What is the principle of nature that allows one to fill and lead everything by emptying and lowering oneself?
EAST-ASIAThe Wealth of Nations
How do the selfish desires of individuals create abundance and order for society as a whole?
EUROPEXunzi
If human nature is evil, how can we attain goodness?
CHINADoctrine of the Mean
How do we maintain an unwavering inner center without leaning toward extremes?
CHINAThe Book of the Courtier
What attitude does true elegance and refinement stem from?
EUROPEAn Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Where and how do the ideas we believe to be truth originate?
UKI Ching
In the ever-changing flow of the world, when should I advance and when should I retreat?
EAST-ASIAUtopia
What deprivations of reality does the perfect society we dream of reflect?
EUROPEApology
How does the courage to admit ignorance become the greatest wisdom?
EUROPENature
In the tranquility of the forest, what universe of our own do we rediscover?
USThe Great Learning
Why must we first cultivate our own minds in order to set the world right?
EAST-ASIACritique of Practical Reason
Can the moral law within me move me without any expectation of reward?
EUROPEThe Birth of Tragedy
Between order (Apollo) and madness (Dionysus), which way does my life lean?
EUROPEThe Subjection of Women
How does inequality, accepted under the name of custom, paralyze our reason?
EUROPETractatus Logico-Philosophicus
Are the limits of our language the limits of our world?
EUROPEThe Theory of the Leisure Class
Is the true purpose of our consumption for necessity, or for the gaze of others?
USHuainanzi
Why must we first understand the natural principles of the universe before governing the world?
EAST-ASIAChaegeundam (Vegetable Roots Discourse)
Why does preserving a simple daily life require deeper cultivation than glamorous success?
EAST-ASIARhetoric
How does persuasion become an art?
EUROPEGorgias
What do brilliant words without truth destroy?
EUROPEDiscourse on the Method
How to find the indubitable truth?
EUROPEHagakure
How does an extreme philosophy of death forge life?
EAST-ASIAEmile, or On Education
Are we raising children to be cogs in society, or complete human beings?
EUROPEBushido: The Soul of Japan
How do inner morality and a sense of duty that transcends death sustain a human being?
EAST-ASIASeonghak Jipyo
Before governing the world, how must a leader first rectify their own mind?
KOREACrito
Is it true justice to uphold the law and one's agreements even in the face of an unjust verdict?
EUROPEUtilitarianism
What is the ultimate standard of morality, and is the quantity or quality of happiness more important?
EUROPEThe Gay Science
Would you be willing to accept your life if it were to be repeated eternally?
EUROPEThe Book of Rites
How do the minor courtesies and formalities we observe refine our inner selves and sustain society?
EAST-ASIACritique of Judgment
Where does the pure emotion of feeling that an object is 'beautiful' originate from?
EUROPE