Now I would add George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four and his article “Politics in the English Language.” The novel, of course, has both historical resonances, illustrating the dangers of Plato’s totalitarian political vision, and contemporary relevance in a fractured political world. Together with its sequel, Metazoa, Peter Godfrey-Smith’s Other Minds combines a painless introduction to the philosophy of mind with tales of scuba-diving encounters with a menagerie of undersea creatures. (Different Themes), 320 Pages - 03/25/2014 (Publication Date) - Routledge (Publisher). 8. But Dawkins remains unsurpassed at showing us what questions it raises. Philosophical Literature Books. It has everything—ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, philosophy of art, moral psychology, and philosophy of education—so it is a great text to use as an introduction to our discipline. Godfrey-Smith says that confronting an octopus is tantamount to meeting an alien mind, and he uses their strange psychology to cast light on the nature of intelligence. To start with, I think some of the best philosophy books for beginners comes from the A Very Short Introduction series, published by Oxford University Press. Don’t be fooled by the word ‘idiot’. Published: Nov 2020. In short, The Philosophy Book is easily one of the best philosophy books for beginners to get into before tackling the harder original texts. When he mentions complex numbers, say, or quantum mechanics, or Turing machines, he doesn’t just wave his pen at their mysteries but stops to go through the details, using equations where necessary, along with pictures, metaphors and the clear language of understanding. (“Modern”, in this context, does not mean “contemporary”: it stands in contrast with “ancient” and “medieval”.) However, another fantastic way to dive into it is through philosophical fiction, and for this, I highly recommend Camus’ beautifully written The Stranger. Almost, but not quite Stefan. She has won awards from the American Philosophical Association and from UM, for excellence in teaching; the Provost’s Award for excellence in research, and the Faculty Senate Distinguished Scholar Award; as well as the Forkosch Award for excellence in writing. But I struggled to decide which. Before coming to Warwick, Quassim was Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge, Professor of Philosophy at UCL, and Reader in Philosophy at Oxford. The students see that acknowledging African philosophy needn’t require eliminating Hellenic thought. Plato pretty much invented the subject, over two thousand years ago. Philosophy in India, through ages, enjoyed a very esteemed position as a master science and served as an inspiration for all other fields of study. You will not get a final answer by the end of the book, but you will surely have learned a lot about the nature of science. I have my students read The Treatise of Zera Yacob. Most of the book is shaped around core philosophical themes and questions. To gain a good understanding of western philosophy, you have to cover the basic teachings of some of the most influential philosophers.Below we have compiled a list of 10 Best Philosophy Books everyone must read to gain a better understanding … In my opinion, it’s one of the best philosophy books for beginners available, thanks to its accessibility. by also including discussions on Freud, Singer, Arendt, and other influential thinkers. His main research interests are epistemology, the philosophy of extremism and terrorism, conspiracy theories, the self and self-knowledge, and the philosophy of general practice. However, one of her best and less appreciated works is her first novel, She Came to Stay. Well, it gives you good thinking tools, and those can help solve problems, whether big meaning-of-life ones or … Sarah Bakewell shows this well, along with the allure, dangers, and legacies of their philosophies. The Confessions is packed with big ideas—God, humanity, sin, vice, providence, reason, revelation, and faith—and it is the sort of book one can grow into. Where is the line between art and not art? 10. The importance of Ancient and Modern Philosophy . Routledge has released some incredible philosophy books for beginners over the years. The Best Philosophy Books | Five Books Expert Recommendations I’m not sure I would still uphold many of the substantial views defended in Dawkins’ classic. Ethiopian philosopher brings together a globality of ideas and the students easily make their own connections to the philosophical problems raised by other philosophers from St. Augustine through Descartes and onward. 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