14 recommended essays for curious minds

Expand our horizons And discovering new ways of thinking and seeing the world and the different aspects that are part of it is something that a lot of people want. They seek to enrich themselves internally or increase their knowledge from different methods, one of them being the use of literature.

However, centuries and centuries of history have allowed the existence of a large catalog of documents and works of different subjects, so that in order to facilitate the search for interesting material you we present a small selection of recommended assays.

• You may be interested: "12 must-see Noam Chomsky books"

What is a literary essay?

An essay is all writing done in prose in which the author (s) delve into a topic determined. This literary genre observes and analyzes from a grounded point of view the subject to be dealt with, trying to introduce and make the reader think about the aspect on which the work is based.

For this reason they are usually acquired by people interested in increasing their knowledge regarding subjects several, although sometimes the content tends to focus more on the subjective beliefs of the author than on facts tested.

14 recommended tests

Here we present a series of recommended essays to make us think about various elements and situations in our life.

1. The Art of War (Sun Tzu)

A well-known Chinese work dating back to ancient times, The Art of War is an essay based on the use of strategy during times of conflict. Although by his name it seems fully dedicated to military strategy, this essay reflects a philosophy applicable to various vital aspects such as social, labor relations or even the behavior of the individual.

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2. Treatise on Tolerance (Voltaire)

Written by Voltaire in 1762 after the French edict allowing freedom of worship was revoked, in this work François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire's real name) speaks of the need to tolerate the beliefs and thoughts of others, stating that no one should die for his ideas and criticizing fanaticism and violence.

• In case you are interested in the book, in this link you will find more information about him.

3. Hell Story (Georges Minois)

In this essay the author reviews the conception of hell through the ages, from antiquity to modernity and with a certain emphasis on the Judeo-Christian version. This work allows us to see how culture has evolved, analyzing the way in which hell was used as a deterrent to committing actions contrary to tradition and the law. It also shows us how the traditional idea of ​​this concept has faded over time and how some of its elements have been identified in other facets of modern life.

• Are you interested in this essay? In this link you can find more information.

4. Hunger (Martín Caparrós)

This essay tells us about a theme that most of us overlook in our daily lives, since we tend to have enough resources not to be devastated by it. It's about hunger that causes death by starvation of large numbers of people throughout the world. Throughout the work the author reflects the stories of different populations afflicted by it, the people who try to fight against it and the mechanisms that cause this problem to remain so today in day.

• In case you want to know more about this essay, here you can find more information about the book.

5. Essays on Music, Theater and Literature (Thomas Mann)

It is a collection of essays in which the author, Thomas Mann, makes a review and analysis of the development of European culture. Focusing on aspects such as literature (among which the essay stands out Sea voyage with Don Quixote), theater and music, the author also refers to other themes such as the capture of reality, spirituality and the artist's connection with the world around him.

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6. Three Essays on Sex Theory (Sigmund Freud)

The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud is one of the best known figures in the history of psychology. Although his theories have been partially superseded by different authors and theoretical currents, he continues being of great interest the observation and reading of her theories regarding the human psyche and its setting. In this work the author offers us his vision of sexuality and its development throughout life.

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• You may be interested: "Sigmund Freud's 5 Stages of Psychosexual Development"

7. In Defense of Error (Kathryn Schulz)

We live in a society that requires us to be competitive and efficient in everything we do. We have to seek perception, being harshly criticized the mistakes made. However, being wrong is in most cases an opportunity to improve and open up to new ways of acting and seeing the world. In this essay, the author reflects different mistakes made by some of the most relevant personalities and recognized throughout history.

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8. The soul of puppets (John Gray)

This essay tells us about one of the rights and values ​​most defended and valued by human beings throughout history: freedom. Throughout this work John Gray reflects that although we consider ourselves liberated, human beings are still constrained by different elements that force us to act in a certain way. As if we were puppets, we are still controlled by our conscience, ideas, beliefs and history personal, without being able in many cases to leave specific limits imposed by others or by us by themselves.

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9. The genealogy of morals (Friederich Niezche)

This essay by the well-known philosopher deals with topics such as culture, good and evil, science and asceticism, guilt or punishment, establishing a fierce criticism of the concept of morality and the values ​​that govern society.

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10. Five moral writings (Umberto Eco)

This work by Umberto Eco study topics such as war, immigration, or the media from the perspective of its influence on morality, based on the analysis of recent history.

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11. The inner journey. Essays on Jungian Psychology (Barbara Hannah)

The author of this book takes a tour of the work of the well-known author of deep psychology, C.G. Jung. Aspects such as archetypes and complexes or personality aspects will be explored throughout this work with a language that is easily understood by the reader.

• You may be interested: "The archetypes according to Carl Gustav Jung"

12. Writing: an introduction to alphabetic culture (Jesús Tusón)

Writing is one of the skills and tools that today are considered essential and that have allowed the transmission of values, beliefs and knowledge through the passage of history. It has allowed the human being to start from previous knowledge to advance and develop. Tusón reflects in this essay the process and existing theories about the beginning, development and expansion of writing as a method of human communication.

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13. The musical brain (Daniel J. Levitin)

Music has been a part of humanity since time immemorial. Used as a communication and expression mechanism for emotions, feelings and intentions, it is a artistic expression that even today accompanies us and is part of our lives from infancy to childhood. death. In this essay the author tries to explain the role of music throughout history and its importance for individuals and groups that have passed through the world.

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14. Eroticism (George Bataille)

This essay tells us about the role of eroticism in different vital aspects and the link between him and aspects such as love and passion, creativity or even aspects such as his relationship with death and aggressiveness, also making reference to characters such as the Marquis de Sade or aspects such as incest.

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