Philosophy Book Suggestions

Wicked, philosophy is never light, but if you are referring to writing style, and if you don't have a background in philosophy, I recommend the first serious phiilosophy book I read as a late teen-ager: Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy." It literally changed my life.

See thread Objectivism, although I daresay Rand's stuff ain't light.

I don't want to be bigoted, but Rand is a waste of time, clearly not acknowledged as a bona fide philosopher in philosophyland. She was an ideologue, with a cult following.

You're intitled to your opinion, JLN. I just don't happen to agree.
Could you please give me a list of some bona fide philosophers in philosophyland? I'd like to have a wide variety of reference points, and from your stance on Rand I'd venture to say you've got a few you could share.

Francisco, I want to compliment you on the civility of your response. That is what makes Able2Know such a rewarding experience. You ask me for a list of "bonafide members of philosophyland". That would be difficult since the list is legion. This applies as well to philosophers who do not recognize Ayn Rand as a philosopher to take seriously. I virtually never see her name in the indexes of serious works, any more than I see the name of thinkers like Deepak Chopra or Timothey Leary. I do acknowledge that her writings reflect the cultural (and psychological) orientation of a number of Americans. But this applies as well to the likes of Chopra and Leary.

Siddhartha, but don't misunderstand the message.

Ray, you are referring to Hesse's book? Yes, that was very provocative in its way. But would you consider it a reflection of philosophy strictly speaking?

It is more philosophical than any existentialist novel. :wink:

It explores the meaningless of hedonist pursuit and things... I would like to know what you think of it Jl.

Ludwig von Mises is a good one. A mix of economic theory and social philosophy. It cannot be considered light reading though. His book Human Action is a good place to start.

Ray, I heard Siddartha on a audio cassett while driving from San Diego to Austin, Texas (in 1990). I really enjoyed its rather oblique dramatization of Buddhist ideas and values.

I would suggest Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche followed by his Beyond Good and Evil. It is by no means light reading, and I've even encountered some who object to even refer to him as philosophy. It is nonetheless an interesting philosophy, one that influenced alot of the 20th century thinkers.

Great recommendations, Anonymous. I don't know what they're thinking. Nietzsche (who died in 1900) is for the twentieth century analysis of cultural and political realities what Wittgenstien is for the analysis of the philosophy of language and epistemology. They are the great philosophical pillar of post-modern thought.
And, as an aside, we must reject the false picture of him created by his sister, Elizabeth in her attempt gain favor with Hitler and other fascist forces (regarding Nietzsche's notion of a masterRACE, his Will to Power as a purely political notion, his alleged condemnation of Jews--he probably admired Jews as having more ubermenches per capita than most other groups; and, despite his Anti-Christ, which was a critique of Paul and the early Rabbi class, he greatly admired Jesus, the person, as opposed to The Christ invented by Paul).

I was going to recommend Siddhartha for it's philosophical contents inside of a novel. It's as light as the reader wants.

Re: Philosophy Book Suggestions


Zeno and the Tortoise: How to Think Like a Philosopher by Nicholas Fearn.

From the back cover:



Basically, in 25 short chapters - one each for the major figures in philosophic thought, beginning with Thales and ending with Derrida - Fearn takes the reader inside the "toolkits" the great thinkers in history have used to extract their views. Less than 200 pages, it's probably just the sort of thing you're looking for.

Oh, and should you want to read any Nietzsche, I've composed a Listmania at Amazon.

Plato's The Republic :wink:

I enjoyed the "Story Of Philosophy" by Durant many years ago but found that he skimmed the surface of the philosophers' ideas for the most part.

Although his writing style makes for difficult reading, I have gained a great deal from reading almost anything by Mortimer Adler's books. Mr. Adler, as most are aware, was one of the founders of the "Great Books Symposium" at the University of Chicago and, as such, has been able to mine the thoughts of the great philosophers and present many of those ideas in his writings.

chiczara, yes Durant's book was non-technical, and that is precisely why it was a good introduction for me back in the fifties. That is why he called it the STORY of philosophy. You do agree that it was a dramatic overview of saga of philosophy.
I agree that Mortimer Adler's writing style is a bit stiff-necked. His whole approach to philosophy leaves me indifferent.

Didn't he mention something about wanting something "light?" Hell, I haven't read this yet!