The Library
Philosophy, Society, Science
Credos
belief, thinkers, perspectives
Sanctuary
Music, audio, a place to be still
“Two men looked out of prison bars — one saw mud, the other stars.”
Frederick Langbridge
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Aristotle
Four Pieces to Begin With
Recommended from this room
The theory behind the Institute of Reflection is expounded in this essay.
Socrates thought he could accomplish this worthwhile goal. It is a cornerstone of our way of thinking. To reverse the message in dated phraseology of Dante’s The Divine Comedy: ‘Prepare to meet thy salvation all ye who enter here!’ The carving for The Thinker by Rodin is no longer associated with The Gates of Hell of Dante’s original concept and today is a symbol of philosophy and knowledge.
Reflection is an Activity that does not own up to the name. It is aligned with a horizontal True North of ourselves. It is a cylinder too often uninspected under the bonnet in the engine that drives people forward into life’s choices. It is time in our speeded-up world that it has a more recognised niche in our communal psyche. Reflection impacts positively on us and on our societies. We are what we have thought. We should think again.
I shall be ambitious to have it said of me that I brought philosophy out of the closets and libraries, schools ...
Credos 1
Modern Thinkers about the human condition
Some Meditation sects in the East kick-start sessions with a bout of belly-laughing to ginger participants into a happy mood and generally imbue their thinking with a sense of proportion.
In secular terms Doubting Thomas may be more justified in his doubts than in scripture. Treat with caution many ideas of the new way of looking at the World.
ATTITUDES OF MIND and FEELING
THAT CAN BE ENHANCED BY OCCIDENTAL MEDITATION
TRAITS, ACTUATING PRINCIPLES, ...
Credos 11
Mysticism & The Unseen World
No results found.
Credos 111
What is Important to You?
Some Meditation sects in the East kick-start sessions with a bout of belly-laughing to ginger participants into a happy mood and generally imbue their thinking with a sense of proportion.
In secular terms Doubting Thomas may be more justified in his doubts than in scripture. Treat with caution many ideas of the new way of looking at the World.
ATTITUDES OF MIND and FEELING
THAT CAN BE ENHANCED BY OCCIDENTAL MEDITATION
TRAITS, ACTUATING PRINCIPLES, ...
Credos 1V
Spiritual Matters
Some Meditation sects in the East kick-start sessions with a bout of belly-laughing to ginger participants into a happy mood and generally imbue their thinking with a sense of proportion.
In secular terms Doubting Thomas may be more justified in his doubts than in scripture. Treat with caution many ideas of the new way of looking at the World.
ATTITUDES OF MIND and FEELING
THAT CAN BE ENHANCED BY OCCIDENTAL MEDITATION
TRAITS, ACTUATING PRINCIPLES, ...
Credos V
Poet’s Corner
In the beginning
Was the land itself
Happy child of a star’s debris.
Desert, swamp
Mountain and ...
Teaching is nothing,
Learning is all.
Building, baking,
Shoe and dress-making,
Farming, fishing or ...
A poem by Winnifred Emma May, known as Patience Strong, about the quiet period after a lifetime’s struggle. ...
Your Turn
What is important to you?
This room is not just a reading room — it is an invitation. The Institute welcomes contributions from those who have thought carefully about what they believe and why. If you have something to say, we would like to read it.