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[Naked Snake]

I have realized recently that I really dig philosophy... I never read any philosophy books however, and I would really like to... I don't know where to start though, so I thought maybe some of you can give me some book recommendations.

Hitokage once recommended Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy to me based on a thread I made a long time ago about a "weird" thought I was having, but I'm not sure if he was really telling me to read it or what, he just posted the image of the bookcover in his reply. Should I start with that book first or are there better books to start with?

 

[AntoneM]

It's probably best to start from the bottom and work your way up, I suggest starting with the Greek Philosophers: Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. You could then go on and read up on Stoicism, Skepticism, and Neoplatoism. This should help to provide a good base for further reading.

 

[KingGondo]

Western: Start with the basics, early Greek philosophy--Plato, Aristotle

I'm not all that familiar with stuff between the earliest philosophy and the 19th/20th centuries, but I also enjoy Nietzsche--VERY thought provoking stuff.

Eastern: Tao Te Ching, Writings of Chuang Tzu, The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure, The Analects of Confucius, The Teachings of the Buddha (I think Shambhala Publishing has a book out).

I'm sure some of our other posters can inform you more, but that's almost all I can think of.

 

[Property of Jumpship]

Start with a good introduction: A Short History of Modern Philosophy by Roger Scruton covers Descartes through Wittgenstein. Then just read the philosophers you are interested in. Also pick up Philosophy the Basics by Nigel Warburton, it covers the ideas more than the philosophers. After those books you should be ready to explore what interests you.

 

[Tabris]

Since Five Rings was mentioned, may as well add The Art of War by Sun Tzu on there.

More the philosophy of conflict, or in the modern sense, business.

Otherwise, my other mention was going to be Nietzsche. (recommended readings are Thus Spake Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, The Genealogy of Morals and The Will to Power)

 

[Cioran]

I thought Sophie's World from Jostein Gaarder was pretty good. It's obviously superficial as far as content goes, but it still gives a good idea of the history of philosophy.

 

[Property of Jumpship]

Sorry, must read books in my opinion are Critique of Pure Reason by Kant, Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche, Meditations by Descartes.....those are good to start. More important challenging stuff includes Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigationds by Wittgenstein, Being and Time by Heidegger, Being and Nothingness by Sartre, Phenomenology of Perception by Ponte, Logical Investigations by Husserl. Dont start with those whatever you do.

 

[Tabris]

Also since it wasn't mentioned yet, you may want to check out 'Critique of Pure Reason' by Kant.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I think it would probably be a good way to kill your budding interest in phi if you attempted a direct chronological survey of the works (barring some exceptions). Plato can be wonderfully read, along with the Stoics and many others but sometimes it's best to make the best pass through a work and then revisit it as your specific queries grow.

There are so many good and readable general surveys and introductions, why don't you start there and see what parts of a VERY LARGE field interest you? I don't know what your current background is with phi but I can make some suggestions of some popular works that might intrigue you to follow questions or more serious reading further.
These assume an intelligent layperson's knowledge and not any specific schooling.

Great read and still very relevant today as a brief survey of OT threads would suggest:

A fun and light walk (nicely written) that introduces common issues to some historical figures in PHI

This is a really thoughtful, concise and excellent introduction to philsophical problems and possible answers

Magee has written several decent introductions to PHI, but this one that ties into the how and why of his interest is the one worth reading. Even when he's very wrong

A classic and still readable intro (short too)

Anyhow, there's a lot more, but these are great starting points to finding out how to get to the deeper or more historical works that might interest you.

 

[Property of Jumpship]

Problems of Philosophy by Russell is excellent. I didnt like Think by Blackburn however.

I forgot the Republic by Plato. That is one book I think EVERYONE should read.

Good luck, it's a massive field. I hope you find something that really interests you.

 

[Tabris]

It's intimidating how much there is out there to read.

 

[StoOgE]

What kind of Philosophy do you like? I mean, I could send you off to read Wittgenstein, but unless you are intrested in the philosophy of language, you arent going to get much out of it.

I would say Being and Nothingness and Will to Power are good books to read if you want something that will impact your every day life in some sort of self affirming way (well, sorta, both books do ultimitely tell you that you cant escape the problem they outline, but I find them upbeat). If you are intrested in deeper questions (such as Causality, Mind/Body, Ontology, etc.) I can recomend some books.. but coming into a thread and just saying "I like Philosophy, what should I read" is like walking into a paint store and saying "I like color, gimmie some". Seriously, every major study from biology to religion once fell under the category of philosophy... so you are going to need to be more specific.

 

[StoOgE]

Edit: Be carefull getting into stuff like Russell and Wittgenstein, those are fields which were rather newish at the turn of the century and the views they express are considered to be childlike at this point. Chomsky for one has more or less destroyed Wittgensteins entire foundation of how language is learned.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I would say that for 97% of the population, hopping into Kant as a good starting point would be a bad idea. :lol But honestly, I have no idea how extensive your background is. I'm not so sure he's good for people with schooling :lol

There's plenty of modern philosphers who would consider Sartre as dead as Russell or Wittgenstein. And they ain't just talkin' about language! Especially Witt.

 

[Naked Snake]

Whoa, I didn't know what a huge field it was... I guess I better start with an introduction/survey and then look up what interests me, but from reading StoOgE's post I think Mind/Body and Ontology are two I probably like.

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[Dilbert]

Musashi Wins! is exactly on point. If you start with primary material, you are almost guaranteed to hate philosophy. I would recommend either of these books as a starting point:

Six Great Ideas by Mortimer Adler is a book which tackles philosophic concepts in a "common sense" sort of way, and is a nice introduction to thinking critically about what exactly is meant by terms like "justice" and "beauty." (FYI, Adler tends to be a rationalist. Keep that in mind if you choose to read the book. That term will make more sense as you learn more about philosophy.)

From Socrates to Sartre: A Philosophic Quest by T.Z. Lavine is a survey of philosophy and its historical context which spends a bit more time focusing on the philosophies of Plato, Descartes, Hume, Hegel, Marx, and Sartre -- a nice cross-section of philosophical positions and counter-positions throughout history. It is very accessible, and is a nice way to discover thinkers who might be more compatible with your Weltanschaung, or which challenge you to reconsider your ideas.

As for primary source material, Kant is death to read. The guy was brilliant, but an incomprehensibly dense writer. Sartre also is a miserable read. There are many good, accessible translations of Descartes' Meditations and Plato's dialogues, and certain parts of Hume are also fun to read -- the guy WAS a professional writer, after all. Marx can be tough, but The Communist Manifesto is a compact work of genius. Finally, Berkeley's Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous is a lively work which is the source of the totally misquoted "if a tree falls in a forest with no one to hear it, does it make a sound?" question.

 

[Drozmight]

I would probably just buy something like this to get started. Cheap... some of the basic readings that'll help you get into it more.

Ten Great WOrks

 

[StoOgE]

There's plenty of modern philosphers who would consider Sartre as dead as Russell or Wittgenstein. And they ain't just talkin' about language! Especially Witt.

I'll grant you that alot of people consider Existentialism dead, but it still has a pop culture influence if nothing else... and its a bit sexier than some of the more technical stuff (see Wittgenstein).

And yeah, Russel and Wittgenstein are by no means limited to language, but everything Witt. does get into is centered around how language works. So unless you want a whole lotta info about the philosophy of language (and bad analogies :lol ) I would avoid Wittgenstein. I mean, I really enjoyed the courses I took on him, but he isnt casual reading.

If you want to read stuff on Mind/Body I would go with Sosa. He is fairly easy to read and he is contemporary. Metaphysics/Ontology shit Im not really into, so I will point you in the general direction of Heidiger, but Im sure someone here knows some contemporaries (I cant get you beyond the 60's, and most of that stuff is allready so influential in the world of science it is 'duh' inducing, but I promise was revolutionary at some point). But all of this is VERY technical stuff, so you might want to go with some PHL 301 type books as others have suggested.

 

[Cubsfan23]

I'm surprised Loki hasn't posted yet

 

[Drozmight]

I'm surprised Loki hasn't posted yet

He's been workin' on it all day.

 

[cubicle47b]

He's been workin' on it all day.

Haha, that's fucking hilarious.

 

[Drinky Crow]

"An Analectic of Cocky and Funny" by Kub S. Phan

 

[Triumph]

*ahem*

Das Kapital by Karl Marx(the guy to the left)

Also, the Lavine book suggested by jinx I found to be a great overview. Extremely helpful.

But for the love of God, don't read Rand or study Objectivism. You will lose your SOUL.

 

[Drinky Crow]

Yeah, if you read any Ayn Rand, I'll ban your ass.

 

[Loki]

He's been workin' on it all day.

:lol

Dork.


Well, the only works that I'd recommend in addition to what's already been suggested are Hume's "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding"; Hobbes' "The Leviathan" (as a nice extension of/counterpoint to this, check out Locke's "A Second Treatise of Civil Government", also recommended; these works are more political/pragmatic philosophy than metaphysics, obviously); Mill's "Utilitarianism" (of particular note is its divergence from Bentham's earlier, more quantitative, conception of "the good" in his own utilitarian framework); and G.E. Moore's "Principia Ethica", which I never got around to finishing, unfortunately. Leibniz's "Discourse on Metaphysics" is of manageable length and was also quite interesting, if not particularly rigorous.



If you can get your hands on some of the lesser known pre-Socratic Greek philosophers (Thales, Democritus, Heraclitus etc.-- Heraclitus' notion of "logos" was quite influential and became further developed/modified with its incorporation into Christianity, where Christ is conceived of as that very same logos-- i.e., "the word", or "the breath of reason"; Democritus' musings presaged the atomic theory of matter), it would really help you to understand the breadth of Greek thought in ancient times-- not everyone was thinking along Platonic/Aristotelian lines. Understanding the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle's predecessors-- underdeveloped as it is at times due to the fragmentary nature of the source material-- really helps you appreciate how unique the philosophies of the "major" Greek philosophers (Socrates as recounted by Plato, Plato, and Aristotle) were for their time.

 

[geogaddi]

Warrant and Proper Function
by Alvin Plantinga

God and Other Minds: A Study of the Rational Justification of Belief in God (Cornell Paperbacks)
by Alvin Plantinga

Epistemic Justification
by Richard Swinburne

Reason Within the Bounds of Religion
by Nicholas Wolterstorff

Critique of Pure Reason
by Immanuel Kant (classic)

Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil
by G. W. Leibniz

I prefer analytic philosophy over continental philosophy though, like Russell-styled propositions with modal logic and symbolic representations.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I prefer analytic philosophy over continental philosophy though, like Russell-styled propositions with modal logic and symbolic representations.

Quine made my head hurt. Back when it mattered. Plantinga can be fun too.

Really though, go in easy. There's plenty of material that will be there when you want hard.

And don't read Heidegger, he's a wanker

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Your professor was Searle? Fantastic! He's got a lot of interesting ideas (and books).

 

[geogaddi]

Do you want to read dry books by long dead folks, or fluffed-up layman's stuff? There's huge variation in the field.

If you'd prefer something less dry, I suggest Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Philosophy in novel form--I really enjoyed this book.

If you want to learn more about the history of philosophy, and older philosophies, there are any number of good survey-style books. Many have already been suggested in this thread.

If you'd like to read in a specific area, let us know and I'm sure you'll get a ton of suggestions. Here's one that I recall finding interesting when I was in school--of course, the author was the professor, which made it hard to critique his ideas properly.

You went to University of California (Berkeley)? Searle is some high quality stuff! Since we are on the topic of philosophy, this Fall I'm going to be studying at Calvin College with these professors, for a BA;

Dr. Kelly James Clark - Philosophy of Religion / Death and the Meaning of Life / Ethics / Chinese Philosophy
Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 1985.
M.A., History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame, 1983.
M.A., Humanities, With Highest Honors, Western Kentucky University, 1980.
B.A., Philosophy and Religious Studies, With High Honors, Michigan State University, 1978

Dr. Ruth Groenhout - Ethics / Medical Ethics / Political Philosophy / Philosophy of Law
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame 1993

Dr. Lee Hardy - Kant / Phenomenology / Contemporary European Philosophy
Duquesne University, Ph.D., Philosophy: 1987
University of Pittsburgh, M.A., Philosophy: 1981
Duquesne University, M.A., Philosophy: 1979
Trinity Christian College, B.A., Philosophy Major, History Minor: 1976

Dr. David Hoekema - Political Philosophy / Aesthetics / History of Philosophy
B. A., Calvin College, 1972 Major field: Philosophy
Ph. D., Princeton University, 1981 Department of Philosophy

Dr. Gregory Mellema, Chair - Philosophy of Education / Ethics / Logic
B.A., Calvin College, 1970
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 1974
M.B.A., University of Michigan, 1978

Dr. Del Ratzsch - Philosophy of Science / Logic
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts

Dr. Steve Wykstra - History of Science / Philosophy of Science / Philosophy of Religion
B.A., Hope College
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Kevin Corcoran - Philosophy of Mind / Metaphysics / Philosophy of Religion
Ph.D. Philosophy, Purdue University, 1997
M.A. Philosophical Theology, Yale University (Magna Cum Laude), 1991
B.A. Philosophy and Social Work, University of Maryland Baltimore County (Magna Cum Laude), 1988

Dr. James K.A. Smith - Philosophical Theology / Contemporary French Philosophy / Aesthetics
Ph.D., 1999, Villanova University, Villanova, PA.
M.Phil., 1995, Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto, ON
B.Sc., 1993, Emmaus Bible College, Dubuque, IA
Undergraduate Studies, 1992-1993, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON

Dr. David Billings - Critical Theory / Marxism
PH.D. LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO (2000)
DISSERTATION: "Reason and Democracy: Kant, Arendt, Rawls, and Habermas on the Public Use of Reason." DIRECTOR: David Ingram
M.A. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY (1993)
B.A. (Cum Laude)
WHEATON COLLEGE (1991)

Dr. Terence Cuneo - Moral Philosophy / Early Modern Philosophy
B.A., Yale University, 1991 (cum laude)
Ph.D., Fordham University, February, 1999
Dissertation: Capacities for Goodness: A Defense of Neo-Aristotelian Moral Realism
Christopher Gowans, Director

Dr. Rebecca Konyndyk De Young - St. Thomas Aquinas / Virtue Ethics
Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 2000
Virtues in Action: Aquinas and the Action-Guiding Objection.
Dr. W. David Solomon, Director, Ralph McInerny, Alfred Freddoso, David O’Connor, Readers
M.A. in Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 1995
B.A. in Philosophy and Communication Arts & Sciences, Calvin College, 1995.

Dr. Matthew Halteman - 20th Century European Philosophy / Hermeneutics / Deconstruction / Phenomenology
2004 PhD, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
Dissertation: The Problem of Transcendence in Heidegger and Derrida
Director: Stephen Watson
1999 MA, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
1995 BA (Summa Cum Laude), Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois

Dr. Ryan Nichols - 17th & 18th-century History of Philosophy / Philosophy of Religion / Perception
Ph.D., Ohio State University

Dr. Christina Van Dyke - Ancient Philosophy / Medieval Philosophy / Philosophy of Mind
Ph.D., Cornell University, 1997, 2000

Christopher Callaway - Political Philosophy / Ethics
Ph.D. (cand.), Philosophy, St. Louis University.
M.A., Philosophy, Baylor University, 1999.
M.Div., Samford University, 1996.
B.A., History, Auburn University, 1993.

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/philosophy/