Philosophy bestsellers

Four Thousand Weeks

Time Management for Mortals

By: Oliver Burkeman
Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

“A game-changer. People tote time management as a way to accomplish everything, but that's impossible—time is a limited resource. The whole way we think about time is wrong. So how can we approach our relationship to time in a way that doesn't overwhelm? This book is a powerhouse. A must-read, especially for folks with anxiety, an intimate... Read more

How to Be Perfect

The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

By: Michael Schur
Narrated by: Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D'Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil & Todd May
Length: 9 hours 13 minutes

“Who doesn’t need a little guidance on this topic, right? Michael Schur discusses what can be a weighty topic (that is often presented somewhat dryly) with wit and humor. I have to say, I prefer the audio version of this book. The tone and style are so engaging, and that aforementioned humor is highlighted in a way that I sometimes missed reading... Read more

Sapiens

A Brief History of Humankind

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Length: 15 hours 17 minutes

“I think this book should be a required read if you consider yourself a member of the human race. This was an interesting and dynamic text on the evolution of early humans to modern man. Sapiens helps recreate a narrative of our existence in relation to other early human subspecies, as well as helps elaborate on how we came to be today. I learned... Read more

How to Know a Person

The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

By: David Brooks
Narrated by: David Brooks
Length: 7 hours 27 minutes

“Brooks went from zero to hero in my mind. His deep research and obvious self-reflection glows in this book. I not only have new terminology to grapple with people who don't listen, but also used his story telling inquiry for richer conversations with my family. Read more

How Fascism Works

The Politics of Us and Them

By: Jason Stanley
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
Length: 5 hours 44 minutes

“With unsettling insight and disturbing clarity, How Fascism Works is an essential guidebook to our current national dilemma of democracy vs. authoritarianism.”—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker staff writer

“No single book is as relevant to the present moment.”—Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • A Yale... Read more

On Freedom

By: Timothy Snyder
Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Length: 10 hours 48 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A brilliant exploration of freedom—what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival—by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Tyranny

“A rigorous and visionary argument . . . Buy or borrow this book, read it, take it to heart.”—The... Read more

When Breath Becomes Air

By: Paul Kalanithi
Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra & Cassandra Campbell
Length: 5 hours 34 minutes

“With a message both mournful and life-affirming, When Breath Becomes Air chronicles a young doctor's journey from literature student to promising neurosurgeon and finally to a patient in his own hospital after being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Always profound, never sentimental, this important book refuses to take refuge in platitudes,... Read more

Right Story, Wrong Story

How to Have Fearless Conversations in Hell

By: Tyson Yunkaporta
Narrated by: Tyson Yunkaporta
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

Continuing the work of the award-winning Sand Talk, Tyson Yunkaporta casts an Indigenous lens on contemporary society, challenging us to face conflict and embrace conversation to find our way onto the right track. With Right Story, Wrong Story, Apalech Clan member Tyson Yunkaporta, from far north Queensland, tackles the divisions that prevent us... Read more

The Second Mountain

The Quest for a Moral Life

By: David Brooks
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 12 hours 57 minutes

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world.

“Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive.”—The Washington Post

Every so often, you meet... Read more

The Bright Ages

A New History of Medieval Europe

By: Matthew Gabriele & David M. Perry
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
Length: 9 hours 30 minutes

""Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world did wake civilization from a thousand year hibernation. Thoroughly enjoyable, thoughtful and accessible; a fresh look on an age full of light, color, and illumination."" —Mike Duncan,... Read more

On Mysticism

The Experience of Ecstasy

By: Simon Critchley
Narrated by: Simon Critchley
Length: 8 hours 17 minutes

Mysticism is about existential ecstasy - an experience of heightening one's senses and self into a sheer feeling of aliveness. Mystical experiences offer us a practical way to open our thoughts and deepen the sense of our lives, whether through a mainstream connection to God or by taking part in mind-altering experiences.

Here, Simon Critchley... Read more

The Way of Zen

By: Alan Watts
Narrated by: Jeremy Stockwell
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

In his definitive introduction to Zen Buddhism, Alan Watts ("the perfect guide for a course correction in life" —Deepak Chopra), explains the principles and practices of this ancient religion.

With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, he delves into the origins and history of Zen to explain what it means for the world today with... Read more

The Courage to Be Disliked

How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness

By: Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
Narrated by: Noah Galvin, Graeme Malcolm & January LaVoy
Length: 6 hours 28 minutes

An international bestseller and TikTok sensation with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, The Courage to Be Disliked is a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfillment.

Now you can unlock your full potential and free yourself from the shackles of past traumas and societal expectations to find true personal... Read more

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

By: John Koenig
Narrated by: John Koenig
Length: 4 hours 42 minutes

“The best dictionary you'll ever had read to you. In fact, there's probably a word for that. Read more

The True Believer

Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

By: Eric Hoffer
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 5 hours 16 minutes

“In our age of fierce partisanship and ideological extremes, this short book is a necessary (and easy to read) corrective. Written in the aftermath of the Third Reich, at the beginning of the Red Scare, and while the Soviet Union was still on its own murder spree, it takes a hard look at the phenomenon of the true believer. What makes us... Read more

Fierce Self-Compassion

How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

By: Kristin Neff
Narrated by: Jean Ann Douglass
Length: 12 hours 34 minutes

The author of Self-Compassion follows up her groundbreaking book with new ideas that expand our notion of self-kindness and its capacity to transform our lives, showing women how to balance tender self-acceptance with fierce action to claim their power and change the world.

Kristin Neff changed how we talk about self-care with her enormously... Read more

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

By: Thich Nhat Hanh
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & True Dedication
Length: 9 hours 19 minutes

“When you wake up and you see that the Earth is not just the environment, the Earth is us, you touch the nature of interbeing. And at that moment you can have real communication with the Earth… We have to wake up together. And if we wake up together, then we have a chance. Our way of living our life and planning our future has led us into this... Read more

The Second Sex

By: Simone De Beauvoir
Narrated by: Ellen Archer & Judith Thurman
Length: 39 hours 9 minutes

UNABRIDGED AND AVAILABLE ON AUDIO FOR THE FIRST TIME

Simone de Beauvoir’s essential masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of “woman,” and a revolutionary exploration of inequality and otherness. This unabridged edition of the text reinstates significant portions of the original French text that were cut in the first English... Read more

Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance®

By: Robert M. Pirsig & Peter Flannery
Narrated by: James Purefoy & Full Cast
Length: 1 hour 40 minutes

An odyssey into life’s challenging questions during an unforgettable summer motorcycle trip

Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance became an instant bestseller upon its publication in 1974. A powerful examination of how we live, as well as a... Read more

Fathoms

The World in the Whale

By: Rebecca Giggs
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
Length: 12 hours 5 minutes

“This isn't a scientists memoir about their life studying whales; it's really just a rambling of facts that held me and my friends in fascination as we listened to it on libro.fm during a road trip. WHALES ARE SO INTERESTING! Rebecca lives in Australia and became obsessed with whales when a young humpback washed up too high on her local beach and... Read more

We Were Made for These Times

By: Kaira Jewel Lingo
Narrated by: Kaira Jewel Lingo
Length: 3 hours 20 minutes

In ten concise chapters, you'll learn powerful ways to meet life's challenges with wisdom, resilience, and ease.
We all go through times when it feels like the ground is being pulled out from under us. What we relied on as steady and solid may change or even appear to vanish. In this era of global disruption, threats to our individual, social,... Read more

The Open Society and Its Enemies

New One-Volume Edition

By: Karl Popper
Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
Length: 23 hours 17 minutes

One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. Popper was born in 1902 to a Viennese family of Jewish origin. He taught in Austria until 1937, when he emigrated to New... Read more

The Obstacle is the Way Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition

The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Length: 4 hours 57 minutes

An updated and expanded edition of the book that launched a global phenomenon, The Obstacle Is the Way presents an infinitely elastic formula for turning our toughest trials into our greatest triumphs.

Since bestselling author Ryan Holiday introduced Stoicism to the world with The Obstacle Is the Way in 2014, this simple but powerful philosophy... Read more

Regime Change

Toward a Postliberal Future

By: Patrick J. Deneen
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
Length: 8 hours 36 minutes

From Notre Dame professor and author of Why Liberalism Failed comes a provocative call for replacing the tyranny of the self-serving liberal elite with conservative leaders aligned with the interests of the working class

Classical liberalism promised to overthrow the old aristocracy, creating an order in which individuals could create their own... Read more

The Burnout Society

Byung-Chul Han: The Collected Audio Works

By: Byung-Chul Han
Narrated by: Peter Noble
Length: 2 hours 21 minutes

Our competitive, service-oriented societies are taking a toll on the late-modern individual. Rather than improving life, multitasking, user-friendly technology, and the culture of convenience are producing disorders that range from depression to attention deficit disorder to borderline personality disorder. Byung-Chul Han interprets the... Read more

The Doors of Perception

By: Aldous Huxley
Narrated by: Aedemon Maure
Length: 3 hours 7 minutes

"A genuine spiritual quest. . . . Extraordinary." — New York TimesAmong the most profound and influential explorations of mind-expanding psychedelic drugs ever written, a complete classic book—The Doors of Perception —in which Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, reveals the mind's remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human... Read more

How to Think Like Socrates

Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World

By: Donald J. Robertson
Narrated by: Donald J. Robertson
Length: 11 hours 25 minutes

How can we apply the teachings of the greatest ancient philosopher to modern life?

Socrates is the quintessential Athenian philosopher, the source of the entire Western philosophical tradition, and Godfather to the Stoics. He spent his life teaching practical philosophy to ordinary people in the streets of Athens, yet few people today are... Read more

Surfaces and Essences

Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking

By: Douglas Hofstadter & Emmanuel Sander
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
Length: 33 hours 53 minutes

Analogy is the core of all thinking.

This is the simple but unorthodox premise that Pulitzer Prize–winning author Douglas Hofstadter and French psychologist Emmanuel Sander defend in their new work. Hofstadter has been grappling with the mysteries of human thought for over thirty years. Now, with his trademark wit and special talent for making... Read more

I Hate Men

By: Pauline Harmange
Narrated by: Emily Lucienne
Length: 1 hour 14 minutes

The feminist book they tried to ban in France ‘A delightful book’ Roxane Gay Women, especially feminists and lesbians, have long been accused of hating men. Our instinct is to deny it at all costs. (After all, women have been burnt at the stake for admitting to less.) But what if mistrusting men,... Read more

Anxiety

A Philosophical Guide

By: Samir Chopra
Narrated by: Asa Siegel
Length: 6 hours 16 minutes

Today, anxiety is usually thought of as a pathology, the most diagnosed and medicated of all psychological disorders. But anxiety isn't always or only a medical condition. Indeed, many philosophers argue that anxiety is a normal, even essential, part of being human, and that coming to terms with this fact is potentially transformative. In... Read more

Hannah's Children

The Stories of Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth

By: Catherine Pakaluk
Narrated by: Jaimee Draper
Length: 10 hours 7 minutes

A portrait of America's most interesting yet overlooked women.

In the midst of a historic "birth dearth," why do some 5 percent of American women choose to defy the demographic norm by bearing five or more children? Hannah’s Children is a compelling portrait of these overlooked but fascinating mothers who, like the biblical Hannah, see their... Read more

The Truth of Yoga

A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga's History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices

By: Daniel Simpson
Narrated by: Tim Bruce
Length: 6 hours 29 minutes

Much of what is said about yoga is misleading. To take two examples, it is neither five thousand years old, as is commonly claimed, nor does it mean union, at least not exclusively. In perhaps the most famous text-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali-the aim is separation, isolating consciousness from everything else. And the earliest evidence of... Read more

Losing Ourselves

Learning to Live without a Self

By: Jay L. Garfield
Narrated by: Eric Meyers
Length: 6 hours 51 minutes

This audiobook narrated by Eric Meyers reveals why you don't have a self—and why that's a good thing In Losing Ourselves, Jay Garfield, a leading expert on Buddhist philosophy, offers a brief and radically clear account of an idea that at first might seem frightening but that promises to liberate us and improve our lives, our relationships, and... Read more

Little Platoons

A Defense of Family in a Competitive Age

By: Matt Feeney
Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
Length: 9 hours 45 minutes

This eye-opening book brilliantly explores the true roots of over-parenting, and makes a case for the vital importance of family life.

Parents naturally worry about the future. They want to prepare their children to compete in an uncertain world. But often, argues political philosopher and father of three Matt Feeney, today's worried parents... Read more

Popular Works Volume 2

The Characteristics of the Present Age, The Doctrine of Religion and Other Works

Johann Gottlieb Fichte: Book #2

By: Johann Gottlieb Fitche
Narrated by: Jonathan Booth
Length: 17 hours 13 minutes

Though born to a poor but pious family of ribbon weavers in in Saxony in 1762, Johann Gottlieb's exceptional intelligence was apparent from an early age. Remarkably, from this humble background, he earned himself a respected place in the pantheon of late 18th and early 19th century German philosophers. That fact that he is placed between Kant... Read more

Popular Works Volume 1

The Vocation of the Scholar, The Nature of the Scholar and The Vocation of Man

Johann Gottlieb Fichte: Book #1

By: Johann Gottlieb Fitche
Narrated by: Jonathan Booth
Length: 11 hours 31 minutes

History placed Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814) between two giants of German philosophy – Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Georg Hegel (1770-1831) – so it was not surprising that his light may have dimmed as the 19th century developed. It didn't help that he also was regarded as one of the proponents of German nationalism, a legacy that spilled... Read more

Determined

A Science of Life without Free Will

By: Robert M. Sapolsky
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
Length: 13 hours 42 minutes

The instant New York Times bestseller

“Excellent…Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing, and the depth of humanity it conveys.” – Wall Street Journal

One of our great behavioral scientists, the bestselling author of Behave, plumbs the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to mount a devastating... Read more

The Book of Hope

A Survival Guide for Trying Times

Global Icons Series

By: Jane Goodall & Douglas Abrams
Narrated by: Douglas Abrams & Jane Goodall
Length: 6 hours 49 minutes

“Fascinating interview of naturalist Dr Jane Goodall by biographer Douglas Adams. I listened to the Libro.fm edition which is narrated by both. Interesting to learn how she first got interested in studying animal behavior and how the field has changed. Her research at Gombe National Park has given us an in-depth understanding of chimpanzee... Read more

The Persuaders

At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy

By: Anand Giridharadas
Narrated by: Anand Giridharadas
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An insider account of activists, politicians, educators, and everyday citizens working to change minds, bridge divisions, and fight for democracy—from disinformation fighters to a leader of Black Lives Matter to Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and more—by the best-selling author of Winners Take All and... Read more

12 Rules for Life

An Antidote to Chaos

By: Jordan B. Peterson
Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
Length: 15 hours 56 minutes

OVER TEN MILLION COPIES SOLD

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

What are the most valuable things that everyone should know?

Acclaimed clinical psychologist Jordan B Peterson has influenced the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics from the Bible to... Read more

Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing The Uncommon

By: Dr. Joe Dispenza
Narrated by: Adam Boyce
Length: 14 hours 6 minutes

The author of the New York Times bestseller You Are the Placebo, as well as Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and Evolve Your Brain, draws on research conducted at his advanced workshops since 2012 to explore how common people are doing the uncommon to transform themselves and their lives. Becoming Supernatural marries the some of the most... Read more

Discipline Is Destiny

The Power of Self-Control

The Stoic Virtues Series

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Length: 7 hours 23 minutes

The instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller!

In his New York Times bestselling book Courage is Calling, author Ryan Holiday made the Stoic case for a bold and brave life. In this much-anticipated second book of his Stoic Virtue series, Holiday celebrates the awesome power of self-discipline and those who have seized... Read more

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think

By: Brianna Wiest
Narrated by: Abby Craden
Length: 10 hours 45 minutes

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see... Read more

Solidarity

The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea

By: Leah Hunt-Hendrix & Astra Taylor
Narrated by: Veronica Giguere
Length: 14 hours 12 minutes

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • From renowned organizers and activists Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor, comes the first in-depth examination of Solidarity—not just as a rallying cry, but as potent political movement with potential to effect lasting change.

“A window into what is possible when we reject the politics of division, trade... Read more

Hospicing Modernity

Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism

By: Vanessa Machado de Oliveira
Narrated by: Dougald Hine & Vanessa Machado de Oliveira
Length: 11 hours 54 minutes

For fans of Everything Is F*cked and Against Purity: Living Ethically in Compromised Times, a book about facing the multiple crises of modernity--and hospicing modernity--with maturity, humility, and integrity.

This book is not easy: it contains no quick-fix plan for a better, brighter tomorrow, and gives no ready-made answers. Instead, Vanessa... Read more

Lives of the Stoics

The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

By: Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Length: 10 hours 8 minutes

Instant New York Times Advice & Business Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, and Wall Street Journal #1 Bestseller!

A New York Times Noteworthy Pick and a "stellar work" by Publishers Weekly

From the bestselling authors of The Daily Stoic comes an inspiring guide to the lives of the Stoics, and what the ancients can teach us about happiness,... Read more

The Book of Eels

Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

By: Patrik Svensson
Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
Length: 6 hours 24 minutes

Part H Is for Hawk, part The Soul of an Octopus, The Book of Eels is both a meditation on the world’s most elusive fish—the eel—and a reflection on the human condition.Remarkably little is known about the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has... Read more

The Five Invitations

Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully

By: Frank Ostaseski
Narrated by: Frank Ostaseski
Length: 12 hours 15 minutes

The cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project and pioneer behind the compassionate care movement shares an inspiring exploration of the lessons dying has to offer about living a fulfilling life.

Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in... Read more

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

By: Charlie Mackesy
Narrated by: Charlie Mackesy
Length: 58 minutes

Charlie Mackesy’s beloved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse has been adapted into an animated short film, now available to stream on Apple TV+
“A surprise bestseller about kindness and vulnerability is bringing people together.” – Washington Post
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.
“Kind,” said the boy.

Charlie Mackesy... Read more

The History of Philosophy

By: A. C. Grayling
Narrated by: Neil Gardner
Length: 28 hours 5 minutes

“A witty, learned, authoritative survey of philosophical thought.” —The New York Times Book Review

The first authoritative and accessible single-volume history of philosophy to cover both Western and Eastern traditions, from one of the world’s most eminent thinkers
 
The story of philosophy is an epic tale, spanning civilizations and continents.... Read more