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One of the most significant works of political philosophy, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty (1859) defines and defends individual liberty, a cornerstone of classical liberal thinking.

How many books can claim to be so influential as to inspire the development of a whole school of thought? Metaphysics did exactly that, laying the foundations for a new branch of philosophy concerned with the cause and nature of being.

Managing change in a rapidly shifting economy and an era of increased globalization requires strong leadership-and a practical step-by-step approach. Distilling wisdom from years of coaching organizations, Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School, identifies eight common mistakes that managers make when implementing change.

Durkheim's 1897 work is a powerful evidence-based study of why people take their own lives. In the late nineteenth century, it was generally accepted that each suicide was an individual phenomenon, caused by such personal factors as grief, loss, and financial problems.

Up to the mid 20th century, generations of anthropologists had imported their own value systems into their work, regardless of where they were studying. Indigenous cultures were almost always judged to fall short in some manner - offering justification for colonization in the name of 'civilizing natives.'

C.S. Lewis's 1943 The Abolition of Man is subtitled 'Reflections on Education With Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools.'

Rene Descartes posed questions about the nature of knowledge and the nature of being that philosophers still debate today. In Meditations, Descartes expands on his most famous pronouncement, "I think, therefore I am," which first appeared in an earlier text.

Friedman's 1968 paper changed the course of economic theory, rejecting existing theory and outlined an effective alternate monetary policy designed to secure 'high employment, stable prices and rapid growth.'

Gutierrez's 1971 book provides an inspiring argument as to how Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should support the poor. The Catholic Church had traditionally seen itself as politically neutral but in the 1960s and 70s reformers, such as Gutierrez, urged it to seriously address real-world issues such as poverty and oppression.

Considered the father of the philosophical movement known as Christian existentialism, which focuses on the living human being, Kierkegaard takes readers on a journey from the human self, its spirit, despair and sin, through to faith in this major 1849 work.

In this 1920 collection of early critical essays, Eliot proposes rules for how a poet should relate to a poem and to the poetic tradition. Arguing against the Romantic tradition of self-expression, Eliot proposes instead that poetry should express universal values and emotions.

Though nearly 1500 years old, The Rule of St. Benedict remains one of the most influential texts in the Western monastic movement. It offers a unique insight into the early development of Christian monasticism and for believers, continues to offer guidance about incorporating meditation and prayer into devotions.

Published in 1651, Leviathan examines where kings get their authority to rule and what they must, in turn, do for their people. Hobbes argues that kings do not have a divine right to hold power; they must earn it by keeping a "social contract" with those they rule over and protect.

One of the most important strategy manuals ever published, Chinese general Sun Tzu's The Art of War has also been used as a guide to modern business, giving executives an insight into the vital importance of tactics and preparation.

Democracy in America, published in 1835 and 1840, challenged conventional thinking about democracy when it first appeared and is still cited today for its in-depth analysis of what makes a successful democracy.

Du Bois's 1903 examination of the plight of African Americans is widely recognized as among the most important ever written on race and identity.

Though written more than 500 years ago, Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince is still both widely read and very influential. Readers turn to it for its direct advice on the question of how to attain - and retain - power. Machiavelli's answer, in brief: use any means necessary to make sure the state survives.

One of the most influential works of political theory ever written, The Federalist Papers collects 85 essays from 1787 and 1788, when the United States was a new country looking to find its way politically.

In The Age of Revolution, Eric Hobsbawm focuses on the tumultuous late 18th and early 19th centuries. He argues that the "dual revolutions" of the time -the French Revolution and the British Industrial Revolution - changed the way the whole world thought about politics and power, and fundamentally shaped the modern era.

More than 2,500 years after it was written, Symposium remains a key text for philosophers, historians, writers, artists and politicians. Plato imagines seven important historical figures, including the philosopher Socrates, debating eros (human love and desire).

In Beyond God, Neitzsche explores what society might look like if we were brave enough to emerge fully from the shadow of the Christian God proposing that God is dead-and that "philosophers of the future" must construct a new morality to replace the Christian one.

One of the most influential books on economics ever written, An Essay on the Principle of Population remains one of the most controversial, too.

Originally published in 1861, Mill's great work systematically details and defends the doctrine of utilitarianism. Arguing first that a "morally good" action is one that increases the general sum of happiness in the world, Mill then says that general principles of justice should be based on this idea.

Turner's much-anthologized 1893 essay argues that the vast western frontier shaped the modern American character-and the course of US history. Interacting with both the wilderness and Native Americans, settlers on the frontier developed institutions and character traits quite distinct from Europe.

First published in 1790, Burke's Reflections rejects the ideas that had inspired radical political change in France and were beginning to take root in England. In an extended "letter to a friend," Burke uses a fiery rhetorical style to discredit what he saw as dangerous ideological developments before they sparked a revolution in his own country.

Advertisements for soap. The image of a film star. We accept these common objects as a normal part of our life. But each also carries hidden messages that none of us even suspect - as Barthes demonstrated in his unique analysis of the signs that generate meanings and assumptions we all take for granted.

Written around 397, Confessions is one of the most referenced works in the Western literary tradition. The initial nine of 13 books draw a compelling narrative of the first 43 years of Augustine's life. The tenth book uses these experiences as a meditation on the nature of memory, and the final three contemplate the Bible's Book of Genesis.

Hamid Dabashi suggests that the Iranian Revolution of 1978-9 would not have taken place had it not been for the influential ideas set out by eight Iranian Islamic thinkers in the decades before it occurred.

Our Ecological Footprint presents a powerful model for measuring humanity's impact on the Earth to reduce the harm we are causing the planet before it's too late.

Four social groups brought down the French monarchy. Why? Because in 1789 each of these very different groups had compelling reasons to defy royal authority.