I remember asking this same question before but couldnt find it on the search archive…anyway. Does anyone know any good books on philosphy or even psychology. Anyway sorry for buggin you guy…thanks in return.
The Dream Of Reason, by I Forget Who, is an excellent book that I read. It gives the history of philosophy up to the Rennisance, and its written for the layperson. I found it very helpful!
Now hie thee to Cafe Society!
Yup, off to Cafe Society.
The Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant, is a good overview of western philosophy from Plato to Nietzsche.
I’d recommend Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence by Robert Pirsig; it’s a little different, being fictionalized rather than a textbook, and it’s not meant to be a comprehensive overview, but it covers many important threads of western philosophy and it intersperses its highfalutin’ segments with welcome down-to earth episodes. (Despite the title, it talks much more about western philosophy; regarding Zen it’s much more subtle.)
Irrational Man, by Barrett. Great for 20th century–explains Nietzsche, Sartre, etc., and the modern sensibility. Also H. Stuart Hughes’ Consciousness and Society. Also, Richard Rorty explains deconstruction etc for the layman in his book that has “Solidarity” in the title–I can’t remember the rest.
If you want to get a good understanding of the differences between western and eastern philosophy, read “The Greek Way” by Edith Hamilton. It is one of those books that becomes a cherished favorite of all who read it.
Speaking as a philosophy graduate, if you’re after a good general history of philosophy you can’t go wrong with Bertrand Russell’s The History of Western Philosophy. It’s well written without being too dense and you can dip in and out of it as you like. It’s also a very good reference book.
Thanks for the reply’s.
Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy.
Believe it or not, the best introduction to the subject of Philosophy I ever read is…“Philosophy Made Simple.” Available in all large bookstores. I’m serious!
brianmelendez bet me to it! Here’s another vote for Sophie’s World - Jostein Gaarder does a great job of explaining the different theories of philosophy, even if his Norwegian humour is a little weird!