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Philosophy Reading Recommendations



Posts: 18   Visited by: 71 users
11.04.2012 - 15:41
Oaken
Hipster
Recently, I've been interested in philosophy and psychology. I don't think I'll study either in university, but I really need to gain some wisdom (Which I lack) and understand more about the world. My posts in the "Religion: Double Standards" show it. Moreover, I really like thinking a lot, and I like analyzing people and events. So I tried to read some of the famous stuff, but it was difficult for a newbie like me. I'd like you to recommend me some philosophical that is easy to read and not complicated. I'm interested in anything related to the matter. Currently, I have a very vague idea about the Stoic, Skeptic and Epicurean schools of thought, some history of philosophy and some info about the difference between common thought, science, and reflective thought.
Cheers and thanks.
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In that case, man is only air as well.
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11.04.2012 - 17:51
malaikat

As I just mentioned in the ShB, start with "Sophie's World" if you want to get into philosophy and you don't have much prior reading expirience. Because the book is, more/less, a digested history of european philosophy, it should be pretty easy for you to determin your further reading, as well as to get a basic insight for all of relevant european philosopher's "philosophies".

If you want to learn more about christian philosophy, I would suggest Eco's "Name of the Rose" as a casual start.

If you want something non-european, I recommend Fung Yu-Lan's "A Short History of Chinese Philosophy", it's informative and very nicely written. +, you'll see why China is the only civilization which had philosophy, and not religion as it's primary spiritual drive, a very good book indeed. Bear in mind, while ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Persia etc. eventually fell, China is still very much alive as a state and civilization, altough in a different political system.

Unfortunatelly, I don't know any books on arabic and persian philosophy
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11.04.2012 - 18:00
Edmund Fogg

You should definetly take a look at Howard Bloom's bibliography.

The Lucifer Principle : A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History
The Global Brain : The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century
The Genius of the Beast : A Radical Re-vision of Capitalism

The guy is a master at vulgarisation and puts a lot of effort in his research, in fact some pages have more references then actual text.
My favorite is The Lucifer Principle
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You cannot sedate all the things you hate - MM
The Observer is the source of reality - Bloom
God damn it!! What did Diddy didn't do? - Satan
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11.04.2012 - 18:08
Oaken
Hipster
Written by malaikat on 11.04.2012 at 17:51

Unfortunatelly, I don't know any books on arabic and persian philosophy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_philosophy#Main_protagonists_of_Falsafa_and_their_critics
There are some great Arabic philosophers.
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In that case, man is only air as well.
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11.04.2012 - 18:47
malaikat

Written by Oaken on 11.04.2012 at 18:08

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_philosophy#Main_protagonists_of_Falsafa_and_their_critics
There are some great Arabic philosophers.


Thanks!
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11.04.2012 - 19:34
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Judging by the responses in this thread you're after more classical philosophy? 'Consolation of Philosophy' by Boethius is a good place to start I would think. More recent European philosophy is a very large subject, but just familiarize yourself with the thoughts of big names like Hobbes, Descartes, Nietzsche etc. As mentioned above its probably a good idea to have some understanding of the history of philosophy before reading into anything in particular.
You can find loads of good textbooks on the subject, also on Ancient Greek and Roman, Chinese, Islamic, Jewish etc.

For Western philosophies I would also suggest learning its different categories, such as the main three Epistemology, Metaphysics and Ethics.
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11.04.2012 - 21:20
ß
Problem?
Not strictly philosophy per se, but Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky may be of some interest to you.
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My music blog - Updated regularly.
To live is to think - Cicero
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11.04.2012 - 21:41
Oaken
Hipster
Written by ß on 11.04.2012 at 21:20

Not strictly philosophy per se, but Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky may be of some interest to you.

I read an abridged version, and it's an awesome story. But thanks to it, I now feel that every policeman (You must be familiar with what's going on in here...) is as smart and doubting as Porphyrius, and that they're all suspicious in me...
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In that case, man is only air as well.
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12.04.2012 - 15:40
Branzig

Plato's The Republic.

It's one of the heaviest pieces of literature I have ever read, and it gives a lot of insight in poly-sci theory and philosophy. Not to mention fucking Plato wrote it.
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In Grind We Crust
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13.04.2012 - 12:13
Oaken
Hipster
Written by Branzig on 12.04.2012 at 15:40

Plato's The Republic.

It's one of the heaviest pieces of literature I have ever read, and it gives a lot of insight in poly-sci theory and philosophy. Not to mention fucking Plato wrote it.

I actually started reading that one before creating the thread. I'm in the beginning of book two right now.
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In that case, man is only air as well.
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23.04.2012 - 22:06
FOOCK Nam

I recommend reading all my post then analyze my mind. If you can try do it, probably you succeed in philosophy : D
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26.04.2012 - 00:57
ANGEL REAPER

Although i dont like philosophers and philosophy in general i must recommend you Action Philosophers comics: a great way to get into basics of modern philosophy through some humor stuff...
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"Cross is only an iron,hope is just an illusion,freedom is nothing but a name..."
"Build your walls of the dead stone...Build your roofs of a dead wood..Build your dreams of a dead thoughts"
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26.04.2012 - 01:31
Clintagräm
Shrinebuilder
I would recommend Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy. I think it's a great distillation of many problems treated by (mostly western) philosophers in the past and present. Just FYI, it's more focused on epistemology rather than metaphysics. For more information, visit the wiki page, its a good overview.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problems_of_Philosophy
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The force will be with you, always.
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05.12.2012 - 03:11
ThunderAxe1989
Account deleted
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Earth




This is what I'm currently reading right now, a co-worker let me borrow it
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28.03.2013 - 17:56
Jpageforever

Tolkien and Philosophy ~ great book, I'm only halfway through, but I think it's wonderful
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16.04.2013 - 01:37
Candlemass
Defaeco
Start with second literature/courses. Get an Introduction to logic. I'm personally less fond of the history of philosophy, thou it's useful to at least skim one just to get a prospective. I'm even less fond of introductions to philosophy through literature.

So this is what I recommend:
(1) Course: "TTC - Introduction to Greek Philosophy" is a great introduction to the subject and Greek is the place to start.
(2) Logic: "Meaning and Argument" - By Lepore, second edition or "Introduction to Logic" by Gensler.
(3) Philosophy: Depends on how serious you are you can pick up an anthology of articles ([url=http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-WILEYEUROPE2_SEARCH_RESULT.html?query=Anthology]Wiley have great ones - just scroll down[url]) or a general introduction (I rec' "Thinking Philosophically: An Introduction to Critical Reflection").

Read Plato for the ethos; Aristotle for the rigor and Hegel to know what to stay away from .
And oh, some podcasts are good resources too. Search Itunes for philosophy podcasts (like Philosophy Bites).

If you just feel like picking up a book; Steven Nadler ("A Book Forged in Hell") is great. He manages to compress so much into a book and still keep it interesting.


Good luck on your journey.
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16.04.2013 - 23:59
Sophist

Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, you said you have a vague idea about stoics, read those 2 son.
Max Stirner: The Ego and Its Own is a pretty good book too.
Although not pure philosophy, Albert Camus' "The Stranger" and "The Myth of Sisyphus" are great.
Confucius and Laozi are pretty interesting eastern philosophers.
Kirkegaard, Nietzsche and Sartre are also worth a read in my opinion, but I'm mostly focused on existentialism when it comes to philosophy.

If you want philosophy mixed with other stuff, stories written by Jorge Luis Borges are the way to go.
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08.05.2013 - 12:10
Night Theater

Just start reading. Anything. Don't worry if you think it may be garbage. Garbage is good for you. Believe me. Sounds silly? Nope. You'll get a braoder understanding of things, even stupid things.

Some of the major western philosophers to read up about (you can read both their works, and what other people think of them):

Plato
Aristotle
Machiavelli
Descartes
Hobbes
Spinoza
Leibniz
Hume
Rousseau
Adam Smith
Kant
Hegel
John Stuart Mill
Marx
Engels
Nietzsche
Russell
Wittgenstein
Heidegger
Popper
Foucault

Then your more modern ones like John Searle, Habermas, Chomsky, David Chalmers, etc.

Of course, there are heaps more to read on.

But, really, it is really good to read up on less known philosophers (especially from the 20th and 21st centuries), and expand your reading to other areas such as psychology (like you said), political science, anthropology, etc. Also, look into spirituality, too. Jiddu Krishnamurti and Ken Willber are good examples.

Then, talk to as many people as possible. Debate. Learn. Don't give a damn if you're proven wrong; you'll become smarter, and learn more.

Look outside of academia, too. Look into comedy - Bill Hicks and George Carlin are great examples. Read, read, and read. If it looks fucking crazy, read! I hope you get the point I'm making, lol.
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