'There are certain words which possess, in themselves, when properly used, a virtue which illumines and lifts up towards the good'

The philosopher and activist Simone Weil was one of the most courageous thinkers of the twentieth century. Here she writes, with honesty and moral clarity, about the manipulation of language by the powerful, the obligations of individuals to one another and the needs - for order, equality, liberty and truth - that make us human. One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series.

This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.