The library · Part IV · Publications

Canonical — and human, by their own account.

Manifestos, declarations, essays, and canons that shaped entire worldviews without claiming a heaven behind them. That claim is respected exactly as stated: these are examined as human works — argument against argument, no more and no less.

Theravada BuddhismEarly oral councils, written in Sri Lanka around the 1st century BCE

Pali Canon / Tipitaka

Three baskets

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: Buddhist monastic community
CLAIMED SOURCE: Buddha's teaching as preserved by the monastic community
PRESERVATION: Preserved through communal recitation, councils, manuscript traditions, and modern digital Buddhist libraries.

External text available

BuddhismEarly Buddhist verse anthology

Dhammapada

Verses on the Dhamma path

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: Sayings attributed to the Buddha in tradition
CLAIMED SOURCE: Wisdom sayings attributed to the Buddha in tradition
PRESERVATION: Preserved within the Pali canon, manuscript traditions, and many public translations.

External text available

DaoismTraditionally placed around the 6th-4th century BCE

Tao Te Ching

Classic of the Way and Virtue

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: Attributed to Laozi
CLAIMED SOURCE: Wisdom attributed to Laozi; no direct divine revelation claim
PRESERVATION: Transmitted through Chinese manuscripts, commentaries, and many public translations.

External text available

Confucian traditionsCompiled after Confucius, commonly placed between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE

Analects

Collected sayings

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: Disciples of Confucius and the Confucian school
CLAIMED SOURCE: Confucius' teaching as preserved by disciples
PRESERVATION: Transmitted through classical Chinese textual traditions and commentaries, with digital editions available.

External text available

Marxism / communism1848

The Communist Manifesto

Political manifesto

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
CLAIMED SOURCE: Human political analysis and opinion
PRESERVATION: Preserved in printed editions and translations, with public-domain digital copies available.

External text available

Secular human rights1948

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

International declaration of rights

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: UN General Assembly and drafting committee
CLAIMED SOURCE: International legal and human consensus
PRESERVATION: Preserved as an official United Nations text and translated widely.

External text available

Secular humanism2003

Humanist Manifesto III

Ethical and philosophical manifesto

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: American Humanist Association and humanist signatories
CLAIMED SOURCE: Human ethical and philosophical judgment
PRESERVATION: Preserved as an official public manifesto from the American Humanist Association.

External text available

Liberalism1859

On Liberty

Essay on civil liberty

AUTHOR / DELIVERER: John Stuart Mill
CLAIMED SOURCE: Human philosophical and political argument
PRESERVATION: Preserved in printed editions and public-domain digital copies.

External text available

THE SPLIT FOLLOWS EACH TRADITION'S OWN CLAIM — NEVER OUR VERDICT ON IT

TEXTS THAT CLAIM A SACRED ORIGIN LIVE IN → THE SCRIPTURES