Philosophy audiobooks

What I Believe

By: Bertrand Russell

Narrated by: Terrence Hardiman

Length: 2 hours 25 minutes

Abridged: No

Remarkably relevant, beautifully written, and filled with wit and wisdom, these three essays by Bertrand Russell allow the listener to test the concepts of the good life, morality, the existence of God, Christianity, and human nature. “What I Believe” was used prominently in the 1940 New York court proceedings in which Russell was judicially... Read more

Wild Heart: The Politics Of Place

By: Terry Tempest Williams

Narrated by: Justine Willis Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Environmental politics becomes a matter of sensual passion rather than political correctness in this rich, colorful mosaic of thoughts on wildness, landscape, animals, and humans. It sparkles with gems of insight mined from Williams' own profound sense of belonging in nature and includes the voice of the late Edward Abbey, maverick... Read more

Finding the Mystical in Ordinary Life

By: James Carse

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

This is for everyone who has ever felt that mystical awareness and inner contentment are impossible given their current life situations. Mystical traditions, on the contrary, widely agree that ordinary experience is where we find the key to deep involvement in life. Read more

Hearing the Word in An Empty Sky: A Christian-Buddhist Dialogue

By: Brother David Steindl-Rast & Robert Aitken Roshi

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

An exciting dialogue is emerging between Buddhism and Christianity. In this program, exponents of the two traditions meet with depth, humor and mutual respect. They examine the similarities and gifts each tradition offers the other, while honoring the richness of human expression, that their differences provide. Read more

How to Live Your Dreams

By: Barbara Sher

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 54 minutes

Abridged: No

What is it that you really want in life? Do you have a dream--something you've always wanted to do, and maybe never even told anyone about? Barbara Sher has a plan to make your dreams come true: Ask yourself what your dreams really are, and then do what it takes to make them happen. It sounds too simple to be true, until we realize that we are... Read more

Thomas Merton Remembered

By: Brother Patrick Hart, Father Timothy Kelly, Bro...

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

On the 25th anniversary of Thomas Merton's untimely death in Bangkok, Michael Toms visited Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, and talked with several of those who knew the remarkable Trappist monk and acclaimed writer when he lived there during the last 27 years of his life. Read more

Discovering Soul in the Workplace

By: David Whyte

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

The soul would much rather fail at its own life than succeed at someone else's, notes poet David Whyte. "So far, much of corporate America has been about succeeding at other people's lives." Determined to change this situation, Whyte has been working with organizations to help them foster creativity in their employees, for the simple reason that... Read more

Dialogue With Sir Laurens Van der Post: A Mythic Journey, Part 3

By: Laurens Van der Post

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Sir Laurens Vander Post placed great significance on dreams. In this dialog he shares how collective and individual dreams relate to our changing times. He also speaks about the emergence of new meaning and hope for the future. At age 86, he had a thought-provoking outlook on living and dying. Read more

Dialogue With Sir Laurens Van der Post: A Mythic Journey, Part 2

By: Laurens Van der Post

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Sir Laurens Van der Post had a long friendship with Carl Jung. He talks here about the significance of Jung’s work and the compelling story of events surrounding Jung’s death. He also shares his perspectives on the I Ching and the nature of time, and why feminine wisdom is coming of age. Read more

Dialogue With Sir Laurens Van der Post: A Mythic Journey, Part 1

By: Laurens Van der Post

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

The experiences of Sir Laurens Van der Post, including time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and a sojourn in the Kalahari desert after World War II, give him a broad perspective. He shares with us the mythic origins of Hitler and Nazism, and why the end of “the age of leaders” is relevant today. Read more

The Survival Of Consciousness

By: Stanislav Grof & Willis Harman, Ph.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

This is a compelling dialogue with two researchers who have devoted their lives to exploring the questions related to survival of consciousness after death and experiences of non-ordinary consciousness. Read more

Creating Conscious Community

By: Carolyn Shaffer & Kristin Anundsen

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

Shaffer and Anundsen discuss how modern times have created new needs as well as opportunities for creating effective community of many kinds. Our human need for connection is as strong as ever, and here are creative, encouraging ways to fulfill our connection in the context of today's world. Read more

Falling Awake

By: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

By paying attention in the moment and to the people we are with, Jon Kabat-Zinn says we can bring a richness and power to our lives that goes beyond healing to give us meaning, wonder and joy in life. “It’s very similar to falling asleep,” he says, “only this is actually falling awake.” Kabat-Zinn has decades of experience with the effectiveness... Read more

Thomas Merton the Man

By: Ron Seitz

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

In late 1993, Michael Toms made a "pilgrimage" to the hermitage of Thomas Merton at the Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. This is a recording of his visit with Ron Seitz, who was a young poet when he befriended and was mentored by Merton. Here Seitz offers memories and insight from the life of the brilliant Trappist monk and spiritual teacher. Read more

Quantum Mind--Quantum Joy

By: Amit Goswami

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

Dr. Goswami delivers this most encouraging statement: "Consciousness in its primacy is joy. Once we have a taste of this primal joy, we can never forget it." He’s an Indian-born physicist and philosopher who has been pursuing a deeper truth in science which has led him to the conclusion that understanding human consciousness is central to... Read more

Writing From the Belly

By: Isabel Allende

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

Isabel Allende talks about her passion for writing. She speaks with great depth of feeling about the death of her daughter Paula. She says, "Every book is triggered by a very strong emotion that has been with me for a long time, and usually that emotion is painful. However, the process of writing is so joyful." Read more

The Spiritual Light of Ralph Waldo Emerson - Abridged

By: Ralph Emerson & Newton Dillaway

Narrated by: Richard Kiley

Length: 2 hours 26 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays and epigrams have influenced generations of writers and thinkers around the world. Emerson's ideologies combined the spiritual intuition of the East with the philosophical acumen of the West. In this compilation of his writings are passages on religion and spiritual philosophy, which reveal a metaphysical thought... Read more

People of the Lie Vol. 3 - Abridged

By: M. Scott Peck

Narrated by: M. Scott Peck

Length: 1 hour 26 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Dr. M. Scott Peck has inspired millions by combining the deepest insights of psychiatry with those of religion. In this final volume of his compelling audio series based on the bestselling book People of the Life, Dr. Peck once again integrates religious teaching with the science of all psychology as he offers hope for healing one of society's... Read more

Living Up to Death

By: Lama Sogyal Rinpoche

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

This is the heart essence of all the teachings of my masters, says Lama Sogyal Rinpoche about his book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Here he expresses the essence of those teachings--how to live in a way that allows us to conquer the fear of death, and in the process to develop a more meaningful way of living. Read more

Crazy Wisdom - Abridged

By: Wes "Scoop" Nisker

Narrated by: Wes "Scoop" Nisker

Length: 2 hours 34 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Take a wild and rickety ride through the philosophies of the East and West to discover madmen, dreamers, and unconventional wisdom seekers. Fun and irreverent, Crazy Wisdom synthesizes the most significant, compelling insights of the ages. Journey into the unorthodox teachings that have bubbled up through the words of such "crazy" visionaries as... Read more

Honoring the Wisdom Traditions

By: Huston Smith

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

This interview is a snapshot of the lively ongoing thought processes of a renowned scholar of world religions. It clearly illustrates how his own spiritual vision has expanded--and likewise his classic reference treatise on world religions. He describes his discovery of Tibetan Buddhism, and his personal meeting with the Dalai Lama. Read more

Wagner’s Ring Cycle In Our Lives

By: Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms & Justine Willis Toms

Length: 58 minutes

Abridged: No

“People experience a myth as the truth, in metaphor form, for themselves,” says psychiatrist and author Jean Bolen. Her book Ring of Power (HarperSanFrancisco 1992) describes the truths that Wagner’s great mythical Ring cycle of operas shows us about personal family situations and world politics. The parallels are fascinating and compelling. Read more

Don'T Get Even--Get Odd

By: Steve Bhaerman

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

Buckle up and put your karma in gear, but beware of too much fasting or you may get stopped by the Higher State Patrol. When Swami Beyondananda was younger, he was struck by enlightening, and it opened his clown chakra. Since then he has been unable to stop the flow of puns and irreverent wisdom poking fun at overly serious seekers of... Read more

People of the Lie Vol. 2 - Abridged

By: M. Scott Peck

Narrated by: M. Scott Peck

Length: 1 hour 23 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Dr. M. Scott Peck has inspired millions by combining the deepest insights of psychiatry with those of religion. In this second of a three volume audio series based on his best-selling book People of the Lie, Dr. Peck once again integrates religious teaching with the science of psychology as he offers hope for healing one of society's most... Read more