Start with Socrates for the insight (thinking is what we do). Plato for the interesting idea, Aristotle to make it reasonable or not. Heidegger for a space for thinking. Spinoza for the self. Descartes for the false authority of mind. Nietzsche for the need of ego. Foucault for our terminal existentialism: Kant for the foundation of Philosophy (categories), Hegel for emotional issues in thinking, Wittgenstein to agree on the game and Derrida to deconstruct and keep it interesting an futile.
Start with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and 8 other early Greeks - Heidegger, Spinoze, Descartes, Nietzsche, Foucault, Kant, Hegel, Wittgenstein, and Derrida - in that order.
I know this is very late in the day but JS Mill's "On Liberty" and "Utilitarianism" are interesting, Hare's "moral thinking: it's levels, method and point" and Sidgewick's "Methods of Ethics"
The Communist Manifesto is not a philosophical text. Also you can or did read it by now within 2 hours, the Capital, all three volumes takes a shitload of time though.
My advice to begin with analytical philosophy and then work your way back to older texts and systems you have then some tools to dissect.
I agree with some of those that have posted before I, a lot of the titles you listed are [important] historically, but they are difficult or dry reading - especially without studying and understanding the milieu-the context-the particular philosophical conversation taking place with which these works were dialoguing..
I would recommend beginning with Plato. It SOUNDS extremely daunting and boring, but with the right translation it reads like a play. I recommend Robin Waterfield's translation - and also I recommend starting with the trial and death of Socrates - as they are the most dramatic
hmm are u sure its wise to start with books 2500 years old? I'm not saying they can't tell us anything, but surely something more modern would be more relevant as it would be written in respect of the massive developments we have made since 500BC
Are you serious? these philosophers are the philosophical basis of western philosophy and history.. philosophy is about ideas and how it relates to humans... humand are fundamentally the same now as they were 3000 years ago.
DESPITE all the technologies of today and the technology tht will come up in the future, Aristotle's statement that A is A is as true today a it was during his time and will be STILL TRUE in the future. Speaking of which, to add to that list, read Aristotle's "Metaphysics"
u seem interested in liberal philosophy so I recommend something by Derrida (a radical continental type thinker, very good at exposing the underlying reality of situations), Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil (not liberal in the traditional sense but an increadibly self empowering read) and for a step by step guide to liberty and freedom Mill's On Liberty, this kind of ethics the USA was founded on but has recently lost sight of. Msg me if u want some guidance, i've studied philosophy for 5 years
you seem more into political phil. from what i have read, when starting out in phil, scholars suggest anthologies. a nice one is the aptly named "philosopher's handbook" it has selections from a wide range of philosophers and covers many branches. if you are into political phil then look for arguments concerning human nature as those are used to justify governments. a suggestion for your list would be the social contract by rousseau and the tractatus by wittgenstein.
you seem more into political phil. from what i have read, when starting out in phil, scholars suggest anthologies. a nice one is the aptly named "philosopher's handbook" it has selections from a wide range of philosophers and covers many branches. if you are into political phil then look for arguments concerning human nature as those are used to justify governments. a suggestion for your list would be the social contract by rousseau and the tractatus by wittgenstein.
Thomas Paine's-the rights of man, Epicurius, obviously Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Rene Decarte, Soren Kierkegaard. i would suggest looking into all of them
Read Ayn Rand. All the titles you have listed are...not good....at all.
Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff.
To make you really interested in philosophy, read Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand. The first article on philosophy I ever read, and made me turn into a philosophy major.
Kant's a tough one. Not a very fun read. I really think that's important (lots may argue with me) I like Nietzsche's Narratives from Thus Spake Zarathustra.
I have to agree here, Kant's COPR is a tough read for a begginner. Thus Spake... is as much a novel as a philosophical work but incredibly deep none the less, ruthless critic of religion and of other philosophers
I second the suggestion to try Will (and Ariel) Durant's The Story of Philosophy. I read and re-read it years ago and was delighted by it. This was a time for me when I really was looking for big perspectives.
allow me to recommend the Tao te Ching, and also 'the Art of War', by Sun Tzu, which largely applies tao concept to warfare. both are short and sweet and to the point, clear and concise, like most chinese philosophy
Not on Philosophy necessarily, but some good books that I've been reading or have read recently are: The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, The Globalisation Myth - Alan Shipman, The World's Banker - Sebastian Mallaby. The Theory of Evolution by Means of Natural Selection - Charles Darwin. Thanks for your suggestions on philosophy books.
also Osho, a mystic of India, studied and taught philosophy. Both of these will teach you that philosophy goes round in circles, Nietzsche says , " A philosopher is a dark man, in a dark room,
looking for a 5 legged black cat who isn't there, and finds him!
lighter suggestions: Bertrand Russell "The Problems of Philosophy" (Good foundation for some vital issues in philosophy albeit skimming the surface - everyone in philosophy should read this text); Saul Kripke "Naming and Necessity"; Plato dialogues: "Phaedo", "Cratylus", "Theatetus", "Republic", "Symposium"; Descartes "Meditations"; Hume "Enquiry concerning Human Understanding"; Peter Singer "Practical Ethics"; Wittgenstein "Philosophical Investigations"
Nozick's "Anarchy State and Utopia" is an interesting read as a counter to Rawls "A theory of Justice". Also I highly reccomend reading Peter Singer's essay "Affluence, Famine and Morality" as an entry to philosophy. I would also reccomend Nietzche and Michel Foucault, but they are much more difficult to read and like Immanuel Kant, their writing tends to be very dense and can take multiple reading.
V.S. Naipaul...you won't find his work in the philosophy section but he is a good read. A good introduction to V.S. Naipaul is available on the internet, his Nobel Prize acceptance speech "Two Worlds".
Thanks for the Oruka reference, which I will be following up. I've never heard of him, but it seems there are riches to explore there. I would also recommend Franz Fanon, "Black Skin, White Masks," and "The Wretched of the Earth," vis-a-vis the South Africa situation.
Also: read the Paul Guyer or the Lewis White Beck translation. These are standard within the field; Guyer's is much mere recent and technically correct; Beck's is the older translation, but it's so entrenched as a standard that it's useful to consult it, and it's not a bad read. (BTW, Kant is a notoriously bad writer. He himself admits as much. But the Critique of Pure Reason is an extraordinary book.)
Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" is a heavy dose of philosophy. It's very difficult; I'd recommend consulting secondary sources. Also: to understand Kant you might need some background in "early modern philosophy" (the authors Kant is reacting to), especially Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley and Hume. I would suggest reading around in the "Kant for Beginners" type of texts at the same time you wrestle with the primary source.
There is a bittorrent out there of Will Durant's complete "Story of Philosophy" for a decent overview. Personally I'd go straight to Santayana for a good dose of sanity.
The Art of Worldly Wisdom, by Balthasar Gracian
InPetrospektive 1 year ago
Try reading the social and political ideas of Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels
Sajeepanx10 2 years ago
Start with Socrates for the insight (thinking is what we do). Plato for the interesting idea, Aristotle to make it reasonable or not. Heidegger for a space for thinking. Spinoza for the self. Descartes for the false authority of mind. Nietzsche for the need of ego. Foucault for our terminal existentialism: Kant for the foundation of Philosophy (categories), Hegel for emotional issues in thinking, Wittgenstein to agree on the game and Derrida to deconstruct and keep it interesting an futile.
waheybi 2 years ago
Start with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and 8 other early Greeks - Heidegger, Spinoze, Descartes, Nietzsche, Foucault, Kant, Hegel, Wittgenstein, and Derrida - in that order.
waheybi 2 years ago
"Beyond freedom and dignity" by BF skinner is an amazing book. I highly recommend it.
mortald 2 years ago
I know this is very late in the day but JS Mill's "On Liberty" and "Utilitarianism" are interesting, Hare's "moral thinking: it's levels, method and point" and Sidgewick's "Methods of Ethics"
unassumption 2 years ago
Communism won't do you any good. At best it'll leave you feeling that success is shameful and at worst it will lead your country to bloody ruin.
Individualism101 2 years ago
The Communist Manifesto is not a philosophical text. Also you can or did read it by now within 2 hours, the Capital, all three volumes takes a shitload of time though.
My advice to begin with analytical philosophy and then work your way back to older texts and systems you have then some tools to dissect.
Cheers.
RationalEmotive 2 years ago
I agree with some of those that have posted before I, a lot of the titles you listed are [important] historically, but they are difficult or dry reading - especially without studying and understanding the milieu-the context-the particular philosophical conversation taking place with which these works were dialoguing..
ZacharyAllenCerrato 3 years ago
I would recommend beginning with Plato. It SOUNDS extremely daunting and boring, but with the right translation it reads like a play. I recommend Robin Waterfield's translation - and also I recommend starting with the trial and death of Socrates - as they are the most dramatic
ZacharyAllenCerrato 3 years ago
Google: Alexandrian Philosophy Politics
For Philosophy
For Intelligent Politics
For a 21st Century Enlightenment
AlexandrianDoctorate 3 years ago
hmm are u sure its wise to start with books 2500 years old? I'm not saying they can't tell us anything, but surely something more modern would be more relevant as it would be written in respect of the massive developments we have made since 500BC
tuleo554 3 years ago
Are you serious? these philosophers are the philosophical basis of western philosophy and history.. philosophy is about ideas and how it relates to humans... humand are fundamentally the same now as they were 3000 years ago.
DESPITE all the technologies of today and the technology tht will come up in the future, Aristotle's statement that A is A is as true today a it was during his time and will be STILL TRUE in the future. Speaking of which, to add to that list, read Aristotle's "Metaphysics"
marcdaddy33 3 years ago
u seem interested in liberal philosophy so I recommend something by Derrida (a radical continental type thinker, very good at exposing the underlying reality of situations), Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil (not liberal in the traditional sense but an increadibly self empowering read) and for a step by step guide to liberty and freedom Mill's On Liberty, this kind of ethics the USA was founded on but has recently lost sight of. Msg me if u want some guidance, i've studied philosophy for 5 years
tuleo554 3 years ago
you seem more into political phil. from what i have read, when starting out in phil, scholars suggest anthologies. a nice one is the aptly named "philosopher's handbook" it has selections from a wide range of philosophers and covers many branches. if you are into political phil then look for arguments concerning human nature as those are used to justify governments. a suggestion for your list would be the social contract by rousseau and the tractatus by wittgenstein.
onoringo 3 years ago
you seem more into political phil. from what i have read, when starting out in phil, scholars suggest anthologies. a nice one is the aptly named "philosopher's handbook" it has selections from a wide range of philosophers and covers many branches. if you are into political phil then look for arguments concerning human nature as those are used to justify governments. a suggestion for your list would be the social contract by rousseau and the tractatus by wittgenstein.
onoringo 3 years ago
Thomas Paine's-the rights of man, Epicurius, obviously Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Rene Decarte, Soren Kierkegaard. i would suggest looking into all of them
666Qtip666 4 years ago
Read Ayn Rand. All the titles you have listed are...not good....at all.
Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff.
To make you really interested in philosophy, read Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand. The first article on philosophy I ever read, and made me turn into a philosophy major.
shovelcharge 4 years ago
Kant's a tough one. Not a very fun read. I really think that's important (lots may argue with me) I like Nietzsche's Narratives from Thus Spake Zarathustra.
bpope123 4 years ago
I have to agree here, Kant's COPR is a tough read for a begginner. Thus Spake... is as much a novel as a philosophical work but incredibly deep none the less, ruthless critic of religion and of other philosophers
tuleo554 3 years ago
I second the suggestion to try Will (and Ariel) Durant's The Story of Philosophy. I read and re-read it years ago and was delighted by it. This was a time for me when I really was looking for big perspectives.
not2tees 4 years ago
allow me to recommend the Tao te Ching, and also 'the Art of War', by Sun Tzu, which largely applies tao concept to warfare. both are short and sweet and to the point, clear and concise, like most chinese philosophy
biguglytrux 4 years ago
Heidegger...Hegel... Sartre.... pre-socratics also deserve some study*
Tomekepper666 4 years ago
Not on Philosophy necessarily, but some good books that I've been reading or have read recently are: The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, The Globalisation Myth - Alan Shipman, The World's Banker - Sebastian Mallaby. The Theory of Evolution by Means of Natural Selection - Charles Darwin. Thanks for your suggestions on philosophy books.
MikeT2005 4 years ago
read FEdrich Nietzche ,"Thus spoke Zarathustra"
also Osho, a mystic of India, studied and taught philosophy. Both of these will teach you that philosophy goes round in circles, Nietzsche says , " A philosopher is a dark man, in a dark room,
looking for a 5 legged black cat who isn't there, and finds him!
chandrakavi 4 years ago
lighter suggestions: Bertrand Russell "The Problems of Philosophy" (Good foundation for some vital issues in philosophy albeit skimming the surface - everyone in philosophy should read this text); Saul Kripke "Naming and Necessity"; Plato dialogues: "Phaedo", "Cratylus", "Theatetus", "Republic", "Symposium"; Descartes "Meditations"; Hume "Enquiry concerning Human Understanding"; Peter Singer "Practical Ethics"; Wittgenstein "Philosophical Investigations"
wbarco 4 years ago
But out of the ones you have there I would definitely read the Communist Manifesto first, it is relatively easy reading and quite enthralling.
funkmasterswede 4 years ago
Nozick's "Anarchy State and Utopia" is an interesting read as a counter to Rawls "A theory of Justice". Also I highly reccomend reading Peter Singer's essay "Affluence, Famine and Morality" as an entry to philosophy. I would also reccomend Nietzche and Michel Foucault, but they are much more difficult to read and like Immanuel Kant, their writing tends to be very dense and can take multiple reading.
funkmasterswede 4 years ago
V.S. Naipaul...you won't find his work in the philosophy section but he is a good read. A good introduction to V.S. Naipaul is available on the internet, his Nobel Prize acceptance speech "Two Worlds".
chaguanas 4 years ago
I shall certainly be looking these up later on today. Thanks for the informed choices. Keep you posted.
mpenseli 4 years ago
Thanks for the Oruka reference, which I will be following up. I've never heard of him, but it seems there are riches to explore there. I would also recommend Franz Fanon, "Black Skin, White Masks," and "The Wretched of the Earth," vis-a-vis the South Africa situation.
IdEgoSuperego 4 years ago
Also: read the Paul Guyer or the Lewis White Beck translation. These are standard within the field; Guyer's is much mere recent and technically correct; Beck's is the older translation, but it's so entrenched as a standard that it's useful to consult it, and it's not a bad read. (BTW, Kant is a notoriously bad writer. He himself admits as much. But the Critique of Pure Reason is an extraordinary book.)
IdEgoSuperego 4 years ago
Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" is a heavy dose of philosophy. It's very difficult; I'd recommend consulting secondary sources. Also: to understand Kant you might need some background in "early modern philosophy" (the authors Kant is reacting to), especially Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley and Hume. I would suggest reading around in the "Kant for Beginners" type of texts at the same time you wrestle with the primary source.
IdEgoSuperego 4 years ago
There is a bittorrent out there of Will Durant's complete "Story of Philosophy" for a decent overview. Personally I'd go straight to Santayana for a good dose of sanity.
neothomist1275 4 years ago