The Philosopher\'s Stone : The Blue Book of Philosophy

Contents: I. Introduction: 1. Why seek knowledge? 2. Science, philosophy, religion. II. Towards a better life: 1. Lifecycles: the journey of life. 2. Childhood, youth, maturity, old age and death. 3. Sex, marriage, love. 4. The existential dilemma. 5. I’m OK, you’re OK. 6. Creative visualisation and positive thinking. III. Work: karma in action: 1. Capital—the root of all money. 2. The nature of progress. 3. Work. 4. How organisations work. IV. Men who matter: 1. Portrait of a sage. 2. Portrait of a philosopher. 3. Portrait of a warrior: a profile in courage. 4. Portrait of a divine worker (Lao Tzu). 5. Portrait of a leader. V. Meditations: 1. Meditation. 2. Vipassana. 3. The blooming of a lotus. 4. Zen. VI. Of human nature: 1. Existence and consciousness. 2. What is life? 3. The soul of man. 4. Nature of the soul (mind and will; reason and emotion; the harmonious soul). 5. Destiny and free will. 6. Sweet liberty. 7. Desire, virtue, happiness. 8. Pleasure and pain. VII. The nature of the mind: 1. The theory of knowledge (sensation, perception, conception). 2. Truth and reality (faith and reason). 3. Logic: mapping the mind. 4. Theory of ideas; idealism and materialism. 5. Idea of the good. 6. Ethics: of good and evil. 7. Truth and beauty (Zen). 8. The nature of beauty and art. 9. Satyam Shivam Sundaram. VIII. Metaphysics: 1. Matter: the substance of the world. 2. Form: the shape of things. 3. Space: the receptacle of the universe. 4. Time: the fourth dimension. 5. The space-time framework. 6. The elementary particle. 7. Being and becoming. 8. Unity and infinity. 9. Cosmology. 10. Evolution. 11. Relativity. 12. The relative and the absolute. IX. The higher reality: 1. Absolute truth. 2. The absolute one (gems from the Upanishads). 3. The oldest Upanishad (The Brihad Aranyaka). 4. The nature of God. 5. Reincarnation of the soul. 6. Reincarnation through the zodiac: Joan Hodgson. 7. A different reality: Richard Bach. 8. Sri Aurobindo’s supramental seeker. 9. The complete man. Index.

"The Philosopher\'s Stone attempts to reveal the hidden secrets that have bedevilled the philosophers for aeons. It brings to light the innermost workings of the human soul, of sub-atomic particles, as also metaphysical enigmas and world-moving theories and principles that have left a deep impact upon mankind. From Plato to Aristotle, to Descartes, Locke, Hume, Hegel and Kant; from Vivekananda, to Lao Tzu to the Buddha, The Philosopher’s Stone attempts, in one mighty sweep, to reveal the great thoughts of great minds down the ages, both eastern and western, that have helped shape the human psyche.

The Philosopher\'s Stone, as the name suggests, brings to light the great mysteries of philosophy, and may be considered as a sort of a ‘blue book’ of philosophy." (jacket)