About Us
READ. Literature provides windows into new worlds and mirrors into our own. Our catalog of classic texts, philosophy, and history expands perspectives and grounds our understanding of society.
THINK. Deliberate thought requires the right frameworks. We develop educational resources and executive function cards to help you challenge assumptions, process complex ideas, and cultivate lifelong growth.
CHANGE. Transformation is both personal and communal. We design conversation-starting apparel and tangible goods to bring philosophy into the public square, sparking the dialogue needed to build better communities.
Our Story
Polis & Praxis Collective was created in the summer of 2025 by two best friends who had talked about starting a business together for a long time. Finally, we just decided to do it.
We started out publishing the handful of books we had written ourselves, alongside public domain philosophy classics from thinkers like Nietzsche, Marcus Aurelius, Plato, Machiavelli, and Sun Tzu. From there, we expanded into other public domain works beyond philosophy, while continuing to write original books of our own in philosophy, politics, and education.
Along the way, we began designing merchandise to go alongside our book collection — pieces with ideas built in, meant to spark conversations and deep thinking rather than just be worn. We're continuing to grow our catalog of published works, apparel, and educational resources. As we expand, we hope to collaborate with other authors, artists, and educators who want to help bring big ideas into practice.
Why "Polis & Praxis"
The name comes from two Greek words. Polis — the city, the public square, the shared life of a community. Praxis — action; the practice of turning ideas into lived reality.
Polis & Praxis exists in the space between the two: we believe the ideas that shape communities shouldn't stay confined to a page. They're meant to be put into practice — discussed, worn, taught, lived out — until they actually make the places we live a little better. Taking ideas that impact our communities and putting them into practice to make those communities better is what we set out to do when we built this.
Who We Are
The two of us after hiking the Pikes Peak summit — 14,115 feet.
Matthew Colwell
Matthew Colwell has spent nearly two decades in education, teaching at every level from elementary school through university, and serving as a district administrator overseeing curriculum and instruction and as a state Executive Director of Federal Programs. He is the author of 3 Engagement Rings: The Real Work of Student Engagement, The Examined Year, and The Examined School Year. His work draws on experience with AP courses, gifted and talented education, and virtual classrooms to help educators grow without losing themselves in the process.
Dr. John Morrison
Dr. John Morrison has written multiple books on philosophy, politics, and education, including Choose Coffee: How to Live in an Increasingly Nihilistic World, Seek Virtue as a Response to Chaos, Embrace the Absurd with Grace, and The Socratic Life. He has spent nearly two decades in the field of education as a teacher, instructional coach, consultant, principal, and director at an EdTech nonprofit. His work focuses primarily on helping individuals working in "people-centered" industries find fulfillment and purpose in the work they do. You can find him across most platforms under his name or his brand @SocraticWay or @SocraticLifeDaily.
Who This Is For
Polis & Praxis is for educators, readers of philosophy, and anyone who wants to connect big ideas to daily life. We believe in the value of physical media and the conversations that happen when people gather around it — which is why, someday, we hope to open a physical bookstore and third space where these ideas can be discussed in person, not just read in isolation.