Bibliography
By jtk2002@gmail.com / December 7, 2025 / No Comments / Book
Bibliography
Selected Works Informing the Philosophy, Ethics, and Structural Foundations of Libraism
Classical Philosophy & Moral Foundations
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by W.D. Ross. Oxford University Press.
— Foundational work on virtue ethics, moderation, balance, and moral purpose.
Plato. The Republic. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. Dover Publications.
— Explores justice, governance, power, and the dangers of imbalance.
Plato. Allegory of the Cave. In The Republic, Book VII.
— Central metaphor for truth, enlightenment, and societal illusion.
Cicero. On the Republic and On the Laws. Cambridge University Press.
— Roman republicanism, civic duty, and the moral limits of authority.
Marcus Aurelius. Meditations. Translated by Gregory Hays. Modern Library.
— Stoic philosophy, self-restraint, leadership, and ethical governance.
Epictetus. Discourses and Enchiridion. Penguin Classics.
— Freedom of the mind as the foundation of all liberty.
Enlightenment Thought & Foundations of Liberty
Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government. Hackett Publishing.
— Natural rights, social contracts, and legitimate authority.
Montesquieu. The Spirit of the Laws. Cambridge University Press.
— Separation of powers and structural safeguards against tyranny.
Hume, David. Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary. Liberty Fund.
— Skepticism of concentrated power and human fallibility.
Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge University Press.
— Moral autonomy, dignity, and universal ethical principles.
American Founding & Constitutional Thought
Madison, James; Hamilton, Alexander; Jay, John. The Federalist Papers.
— Structural design, checks and balances, and warnings against faction.
Jefferson, Thomas. Notes on the State of Virginia and Selected Letters.
— Liberty, decentralization, and skepticism of centralized authority.
Paine, Thomas. Common Sense; Rights of Man.
— Moral legitimacy of governance and the sovereignty of the people.
Patrick Henry. Selected Speeches and Writings.
— Resistance to tyranny and defense of individual liberty.
Samuel Adams. Writings and Speeches.
— Civic virtue, decentralization, and resistance to overreach.
Modern Political Theory & Warnings Against Authoritarianism
Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America.
— Majority tyranny, soft despotism, and civic erosion.
Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty.
— Freedom of speech, individuality, and limits of authority.
Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism.
— Structural and psychological roots of authoritarian systems.
Orwell, George. 1984; Animal Farm; Politics and the English Language.
— Power, language manipulation, and institutional decay.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.
— Authoritarianism through comfort, distraction, and conditioning.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
— Censorship, intellectual suppression, and cultural decline.
Santayana, George. The Life of Reason.
— Historical memory and cyclical societal failure.
Mencken, H.L. Notes on Democracy.
— Political manipulation and skepticism of mass power.
Twain, Mark. The Mysterious Stranger and Essays.
— Moral hypocrisy, empire critique, and institutional satire.
Economics, Power, and Structural Critique
Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments; The Wealth of Nations.
— Moral economy and balanced markets.
Hayek, Friedrich. The Road to Serfdom.
— Central planning and the erosion of freedom.
Keynes, John Maynard. The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.
— Macroeconomic stabilization and structural responsibility.
Griffin, G. Edward. The Creature from Jekyll Island.
— Monetary power, centralized finance, and systemic imbalance.
Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged.
— Individual agency, moral responsibility, and opposition to collectivism
(Referenced critically in contrast to Libraism’s equilibrium model.)
Systems Thinking & Civilization
Fuller, R. Buckminster. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.
— Systems thinking and cooperative sustainability.
Turing, Alan. Computing Machinery and Intelligence.
— Logic, systems, and ethical responsibility in innovation.
Spengler, Oswald. The Decline of the West.
— Civilizational cycles and structural decay.
Toynbee, Arnold. A Study of History.
— Challenge, response, and civilizational survival.
Civil Rights, Moral Resistance & Human Dignity
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
— Moral courage and resistance to institutional injustice.
King Jr., Martin Luther. Letter from Birmingham Jail.
— Moral law versus unjust law.
Havel, Václav. The Power of the Powerless.
— Truth, dissent, and moral resistance.
Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom.
— Reconciliation, balance, and institutional rebuilding.
Snowden, Edward. Permanent Record.
— Surveillance, power imbalance, and transparency.
Supplemental & Contemporary Works
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas. Antifragile.
— Systems that thrive through balance and stress.
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice.
— Fairness, equity, and institutional design.
Ostrom, Elinor. Governing the Commons.
— Decentralized governance and collective stewardship.
Author’s Original Framework
Thomas, J.T. Libraism.
— Original philosophical, ethical, and structural framework for equilibrium-based civilization.