5 ms·

I'd be interested to see a list of the best philosophy books for non-philosophers. I'm not a philosopher or close to the field, but I always thought Thomas Nage

by dulse 14y ago

I'd be interested to see a list of the best philosophy books for non-philosophers. I'm not a philosopher or close to the field, but I always thought Thomas Nagel's Mortal Questions was a big hitter. Not so much for an individual essay but the combination of essays - What Is it Like to be a Bat? and The Absurd are both classics in my mind. Basically every essay in that short book is great, completely understandable to the lay-person, has the potential to be deeply influential to one's everyday beliefs, and is philosophically rigorous. Philosophical Investigations is beyond my ability to follow as is Heidegger (I think it's a common complain against continental philosophy in general). Kripke's Naming and Necessity is something I can understand, but I don't really feel the 'oomph' to the insight that there can be a posteriori necessary truths and apriori contingent truths. Obviously it's a deeply important fact, and an astonishing breakthrough. But it doesn't hit me in the same way as Nagel's Absurd, which attempts to break down and dismiss existential dread. I don't think he succeeds, exactly, but it feels important and deeply insightful.

anigbrowl 14y ago
If you enjoyed Nagel, pick up 'The Mind's I', an anthology edited by Douglas Hofstadter, which includes a few of Nagel's essays and many others of value. If you're interested in things like crime and punishment, Leo Katz has written several highly accessible books on moral philosophy and law, though his arguments sometimes trike me as glib. Reading Plato, especially the dialogs of Socrates, can be a little indigestible at first, because he takes a long time to get to the point. but there's a reason that Whitehead said most philosophy consists of 'footnotes to Plato'; once you get used to the style you'll find the weighty matters leavened with a surprising amount of dry humor.
- gnosis 14y ago
  Since you mention Hofstadter, I simply have to bring up Godel, Escher, Bach. Especially for anyone who's interested in computers and artificial intelligence, this is a must read. It is brimming over with philosophical issues, and is very accessible even to someone without any previous exposure to philosophy. I'd also recommend "The Cyberiad" by Stanislaw Lem. It's an anthology of hilarious science fiction stories, many of which deal with deep philosophical themes. Also, along those lines is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, which is also hilarious and very philosophical. These aren't exactly the first books most people think of when asked for intro to philosophy books, but I think books like these are quite perfect as very easy, gentle, funny and fun intros to many philosophical themes. Their humor and wit also put the vast majority of "real" philosophy books to shame.
  - mjn 14y ago
    A colleague of mine with a background in semiotics recently read Godel, Escher, Bach, and said it was, among other things, to his surprise a good introduction to something very similar to semiotics, but independently derived by Hofstadter from first principles.
- adrianhoward 14y ago
  If you enjoyed Nagel, pick up 'The Mind's I', an anthology edited by Douglas Hofstadter Edited by Douglas Hofstadter & Daniel Dennett you mean ;-) Daniel Dennett's philosophical writings on consciousness/AI and religion are also very approachable. His "Intentional Stance" is a classic IMHO. I've not read all of his later stuff - but Consciousness Explained is also very good. (His four Fs definition of life always cracks me up - fight, flee, feed, and... mating...),
gnosis 14y ago
I actually enjoyed the "... for Beginners" series of philosophy intros that come in the format of comics. I think they're a great way to get introduced to some of the basic concepts. They're really easy to digest, really quick, easy, fun reads. Highly recommended. Another good way to ease in to the subject are the "Philosophy of Watchmen", "Philosophy of Batman", "Philosophy through Science Fiction" types of books. If you have an interest in any comic or fiction genre, there's probably a "Philosophy of ..." book written about it. See if you can find it, as having that connection will help you to relate and understand the underlying philosophical ideas (which can often seem way too abstract when presented on their own). As for primary sources, I'd recommend reading Nietzsche and Plato. Nietzsche especially is probably the greatest writer philosophy has ever produced, by far. So reading his work is not the chore that the work of most other philosophers is. He also deals with very visceral, real issues that tend to really speak to people (unlike, say, most of the analytics who tend to love building abstract little logic or language puzzles to play with, which tend to leave most people cold). Plato isn't as good a writer as Nietzsche, but his work does make for a pretty easy read, and the issues he deals with are also quite relevant and understandable for people just starting to dip their toes in to the wide sea of philosophy.
paulrademacher 14y ago
I recommend Nigel Warburton's "Philosophy: Basic Readings". It's a collection of short selections and essays (5-30 pages each) from different philosophers, writers, political activists, and more. Every essay contains some interesting core idea, which you can use as a springboard to explore the subject or writer in more detail. There is very little philosophical lingo (at least relative to a typical full philosophy text).
RockyMcNuts 14y ago
I thought "The Story of Philosophy" was a readable roundup (rigorous doesn't really come to mind) ... written in 1926 so the ancients through 19th century, no Wittgenstein ... but the fact that it's still in print tells you something. http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Philosophy-Opinions-Philosophers/dp/0671739166 http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Philosophy-Opinions-Philosop...

by dulse 14y ago

anigbrowl 14y ago

If you enjoyed Nagel, pick up 'The Mind's I', an anthology edited by Douglas Hofstadter, which includes a few of Nagel's essays and many others of value. If you're interested in things like crime and punishment, Leo Katz has written several highly accessible books on moral philosophy and law, though his arguments sometimes trike me as glib. Reading Plato, especially the dialogs of Socrates, can be a little indigestible at first, because he takes a long time to get to the point. but there's a reason that Whitehead said most philosophy consists of 'footnotes to Plato'; once you get used to the style you'll find the weighty matters leavened with a surprising amount of dry humor.

gnosis 14y ago
Since you mention Hofstadter, I simply have to bring up Godel, Escher, Bach. Especially for anyone who's interested in computers and artificial intelligence, this is a must read. It is brimming over with philosophical issues, and is very accessible even to someone without any previous exposure to philosophy. I'd also recommend "The Cyberiad" by Stanislaw Lem. It's an anthology of hilarious science fiction stories, many of which deal with deep philosophical themes. Also, along those lines is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, which is also hilarious and very philosophical. These aren't exactly the first books most people think of when asked for intro to philosophy books, but I think books like these are quite perfect as very easy, gentle, funny and fun intros to many philosophical themes. Their humor and wit also put the vast majority of "real" philosophy books to shame.
- mjn 14y ago
  A colleague of mine with a background in semiotics recently read Godel, Escher, Bach, and said it was, among other things, to his surprise a good introduction to something very similar to semiotics, but independently derived by Hofstadter from first principles.
adrianhoward 14y ago
If you enjoyed Nagel, pick up 'The Mind's I', an anthology edited by Douglas Hofstadter Edited by Douglas Hofstadter & Daniel Dennett you mean ;-) Daniel Dennett's philosophical writings on consciousness/AI and religion are also very approachable. His "Intentional Stance" is a classic IMHO. I've not read all of his later stuff - but Consciousness Explained is also very good. (His four Fs definition of life always cracks me up - fight, flee, feed, and... mating...),

gnosis 14y ago

I actually enjoyed the "... for Beginners" series of philosophy intros that come in the format of comics. I think they're a great way to get introduced to some of the basic concepts. They're really easy to digest, really quick, easy, fun reads. Highly recommended. Another good way to ease in to the subject are the "Philosophy of Watchmen", "Philosophy of Batman", "Philosophy through Science Fiction" types of books. If you have an interest in any comic or fiction genre, there's probably a "Philosophy of ..." book written about it. See if you can find it, as having that connection will help you to relate and understand the underlying philosophical ideas (which can often seem way too abstract when presented on their own). As for primary sources, I'd recommend reading Nietzsche and Plato. Nietzsche especially is probably the greatest writer philosophy has ever produced, by far. So reading his work is not the chore that the work of most other philosophers is. He also deals with very visceral, real issues that tend to really speak to people (unlike, say, most of the analytics who tend to love building abstract little logic or language puzzles to play with, which tend to leave most people cold). Plato isn't as good a writer as Nietzsche, but his work does make for a pretty easy read, and the issues he deals with are also quite relevant and understandable for people just starting to dip their toes in to the wide sea of philosophy.

paulrademacher 14y ago

I recommend Nigel Warburton's "Philosophy: Basic Readings". It's a collection of short selections and essays (5-30 pages each) from different philosophers, writers, political activists, and more. Every essay contains some interesting core idea, which you can use as a springboard to explore the subject or writer in more detail. There is very little philosophical lingo (at least relative to a typical full philosophy text).

RockyMcNuts 14y ago

I thought "The Story of Philosophy" was a readable roundup (rigorous doesn't really come to mind) ... written in 1926 so the ancients through 19th century, no Wittgenstein ... but the fact that it's still in print tells you something. http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Philosophy-Opinions-Philosophers/dp/0671739166 http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Philosophy-Opinions-Philosop...