Philosophy books...

[Sass]

Hey guys

I've always wanted to read more philosophy, but I have no idea where to start! I'm pretty open-minded about what I'll read, and it'd be great to have some suggestions of titles you've enjoyed or found useful.

Thanks

 

[King_Oni]

I've always found that it would be easier to have a bit of orientation between the many disciplines that cover philosophy.

Philosophy IMO isn't really something you can start with a "beginner's guide", I always found it to be like learning a language. What language do I want to learn and what books cover this. Philosophy isn't any different (though I guess plenty of books do cross over to other disciplines within philosophy).

 

[Sass]

Ok, well let me be more specific then I'm interested in things that cover ethics, the human mind, that sort of thing

 

[mastevens77]

Albert camus: The stranger
Nietzsche: Beyond good and evil

 

[Sass]

Albert camus: The stranger
Nietzsche: Beyond good and evil

Thanks

 

[gonzerd]

One that immediately springs to mind is On Liberty by John Stuart Mill. Librivox has a free audiobook version.
It's one of the basic texts of Utilitarianism, which is still a very current line of ethical thinking. If I remember well it's very clearly written, with lots of illustrated points that provoke further thought on how society is organized and how we come to be who we are as individuals. For instance how cultural and geographical influences play a big role in our development and later choices, or lack of choice.
Summary from the Librivox page:

Published in 1859, On Liberty details Mill's view that individuals should be left wholly free to engage in any activity, thought or belief that does not harm others. Simple though it sounds, it is a position that challenges our ideas on the very nature of government and society, and sheds light on some of the key issues we face today. A key text of political philosophy, On Liberty has been continuously in print since its first publication.

A good counterpoint could be Kant's Critique of Practical Reason.
Summary from Librivox:

The Critique of Practical Reason (Kritik der praktischen Vernunft) is the second of Immanuel Kant's three critiques, first published in 1788. It follows on from his Critique of Pure Reason and deals with his moral philosophy. The second Critique exercised a decisive influence over the subsequent development of the field of ethics and moral philosophy, becoming the principle reference point for ethical systems that focus on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions. Subsequently termed “deontological ethics”, Kant’s ethical system also laid the groundwork of moral absolutism, the belief that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged, and that certain actions are right or wrong, devoid of the context of the act.

Jean-Paul Sartre is a very interesting figure to look into as well when it comes to the human mind and our existence and perception. I can't come up with a particular book as a starting point though. Maybe Nausea, but I've only read excerpts from it.

 

[Loomis]

A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, written in 1945, is an excellent survey of western thought up to the mid twentieth century. It covers Ancient Greeks through Logical Analysis.

The primary philosophers to read are Plato and Aristotle, Stoicism (Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius,) Thomas Aquinas (Middle Ages Christian Aristotelian,) Renaissance (Machiavelli,) and then the big one: The Enlightenment Philosophers [Descartes, and the British Empiricists (Locke, Berkeley and Hume.)] These are followed by Kant (dense and difficult to read) and the German idealists [Hegel (also tough reading.)] Nietzsche is important as the Nihilist who begat postmodernism. Finally are William James (Pragmatism) and the language analysts (Bertrand Russell.)

After 1945 the main philosophers to hit would be Ludwig Wittgenstein (logical positivism,) and Jean Paul Sartre (Read his novel Nausea as mentioned in a post above. It contains all the same ideas as Being and Nothingness but is much more readable.) Finally postmodernism (Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida) and its critics (Jürgen Habermas) are where we are now.

 

[Sass]

You guys are amazing! I now have a lot to start with. Thank you all

 

[Tarragon]

Tao Te Ching.

 

[IContainMultitudes]

It's not available yet, but this is a book that will probably be good:

Classical Philosophy: A history of philosophy without any gaps, Volume 1: Peter Adamson: 9780199674534: Amazon.com: Books

The author does a philosophy podcast that I've listened to a little bit:

Socrates Plato Aristotle | History of Philosophy without any gaps

And while we're on the subject of philosophy, these videos are a lot of fun:

NEW SHOW: 8-Bit Philosophy - YouTube

 

[Sass]

Right, so I now have some Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Bertrand Russell to start with (yay for free kindle editions!). I'm curious though, and any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, about writers that don't entirely fit the definition of 'philosopher', like Kahlil Gibran?

 

[Ste11aeres]

Hey guys

I've always wanted to read more philosophy, but I have no idea where to start! I'm pretty open-minded about what I'll read, and it'd be great to have some suggestions of titles you've enjoyed or found useful.

Thanks

I would recommend The Consolation of Philosophy as a good first book to start with. ALso, stuff by Josef Pieper.

I really wouldn't recommend starting with Kant, Mill, or Bertrand Russell. Maybe later on, but not to start with.

All the books recommended on this thread are important philosophical works, but not necessarily the best to start with. Not that a beginner couldn't grasp the concepts...but it takes a philosophical grounding in order to to avoid
a) being sucked back too far and getting messed up ideas (philosophers can be great without being correct)
or b) not appreciating the greatness of a philosophical work.

Oh, another book I like is Chesterton's biography on Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas Aquinas (illustrated & annotated) - Kindle edition by G. K. Chesterton. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.