What is a good book for a beginner to philosophy?

Answer 1

Try Khalil Gibrain " The Prophet "

Answer 2

Have you ever seem those big yellow and black books called "Dummies Guide To......"? There is a whole series of them, I swear there must be 100 or so. Anyway, they're pretty good, and they now have one on Philosophy. It will give you a brief outline of all the different schools of philosophy, and who the most famous advocates of each school were, and a brief explanation of what each idea or philosophy is trying to say. It's an excellent book to begin with, because then you can go on and read about who you like from the particular philosophers mentioned. There are so many of them that it is too difficult to know where to start without a comprehensive guide like this book.

Answer 3

I'm assuming you haven't read any philosophy. If that's the case, I don't recommend reading original texts (like Plato, Aristotle and Descartes) immediately. Get your feet wet first.

You could start with one of these.

1. Sophie's World - Gaarder. History of philosophy in the form of a novel.
2. The Problems of Philosophy - Russell. Small book, a bit of a classic, written for beginners.
3. An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy - Scruton. (This has also been published as Philosophy: Principles and Problems.) Another small book, recent, very readable. I like Scruton a lot.
4. Story of Philosophy - Durant. A partial history, around 400 pages. Scholars won't like it, but it can be a good first step, to get you excited about the issues.
5. From Socrates to Sartre - Lavine. Another introductory history, this one a bit more recent.
6. The Examined Life: Reading from Western Philosophers from Plato to Kant - Rosen, ed. (This book has has been issued in paperback with the misleading title The Philosopher's Handbook.) This is an anthology with commentary to help guide the reader.
7. Reading Philosophy: Selected Texts with a Method for Beginners - Guttenplan/Hornsby/Janaway. Another anthology, this one with strong commentary and direction.

You could start with any of these, but I suggest you first read Scruton (3), then go on to Lavine (5). If you're still interested, dive into Rosen (6). If you work your way intelligently through these three, you'll probably know more philosophy than most undergraduate philosophy majors.

If you want to read original texts as soon as possible, begin with Plato, Descartes or Nietzsche. They are not easy to understand, but they are at least readable, unlike Aristotle, Kant and Hegel.

Answer 4

Go outside and look at the world. Philosophy books are overrated. They consist of a bunch of strangers who like to argue with one another. There is a whole world out there, check it out, take notes, and come up with your own philosophy. If the mood should strike, compile your philosophy into a book, and it will be added to the endless argument between the philosophers of the ages.

Answer 5

Western Philosophy: An Anthology.......it's a pretty thick book which contains the basics of all western philosophy. It has more essays and whatnot than I can remember, along with modern commentary and analysis on what each particular essay meant to modern philosophy. Good book, though it can get a bit dry at times. That, I suppose, is to be expected, though. You can get it pretty cheap at the link below.

Answer 6

Go to a used book store, college students often sell their old textbooks there and they will be cheap. Try just an intro philosophy book. These textbooks offer an overview of philosophers and their ideologies. Then you can research philosophers you find interesting by name from what you have read.

Answer 7

I like the Oxford Campanion to Philosophy, by Honderich. This is basically an encyclopedia of philosophy.

Answer 8

There are many. But I'll give you one: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

A good book including selections of basic philosophy by names you may recognize would also be good. What names? - Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Mills. These are a few that come to my mind.

Answer 9

Sophie's World byJostein Gaarder.

Gives a great overview of philosophy.

Answer 10

Books by J. Krishnamirti. He and David Bohm had some nice discussions concerning meta-physichal dilemmas.