Introduction
Philosophy may appear dense and intimidating, but it is simply asking the most critical questions in life. We have listed 5 of the best philosophical books for beginners, so one can learn the fundamental concepts and move on to more profound and life-changing knowledge.
Best Philosophical Books for Beginners
Philosophy, at its most basic level, is the love of wisdom or the quest to know fundamental truths about ourselves, the world around us, and how these two are interrelated. To the layman, then, history can be boring, the jargon and the debate over the ages. The most common question beginners ask is, “Where to start?” The trick is to locate books that not only present basic ideas but are also clearly written, well-written, and, to some extent, relevant over time.
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
- The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (Chapter on Philosophy)
- Plato’s Dialogues (Focusing on Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo)
Even the best introductory work does not merely lay out arguments. Still, it provokes your own critical thinking, so that you find yourself forced to stop and rethink your earliest and simplest assumptions about reality, morality and purpose. The best philosophical books for beginners chosen here are the best openings, each a school of thought pivotal to or a fundamental part of an answer to a thought-provoking question.
1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The book revolves around Stoicism, a philosophy that teaches how to live a good life, emphasising what can be controlled (thoughts and actions) and what cannot be (what happens around you and the people around you). Aurelius repeatedly emphasises the virtues of reason, self-control, and the acceptance of natural laws, providing guidance on coping with difficult times, on realising that we are mortal, and on avoiding internal agitation.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
It is thus easy to decide on its fragmented, aphoristic form, and its immediate, personal style is thunderous to contemporary readers in need of strength and calm. The book is an outstanding introduction to ancient ethics and applied philosophy.
2. The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
First published in 1912, this book is the best introduction to Western philosophy ever. Bertrand Russell is one of the most impactful logicians and philosophers of the 20th century, whose answers to the most fundamental questions of metaphysics and epistemology are astonishingly clear and intellectually sound.
Although this may seem a paradox, all exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation.
He starts with the distinction between the appearance and the reality- how do we know the chair we are looking for is really there? There he proceeds to the essence of matter, acquaintance knowledge, induction and the worth of philosophy itself. Moreover, he is a master of prose, and he presents the reader with the process of critical, analytical thinking that is employed in modern philosophy.
3. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
To those seeking answers to the questions of meaning and existence, this essay by Albert Camus is the ultimate point of entry into the philosophy of existentialism and the absurd.
Rather than accepting the undeniable human truth that the world does not have a natural, predetermined meaning, the encounter with the experience Camus names the Absurd. Furthermore, he proposes that we should revolt against the Absurd, and that we are even supposed to be passionate in defending the meaninglessness.
“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend”
He applies the Greek myth of Sisyphus, doomed to push a boulder up a hill, as the ideal human analogy for labour. The ultimate victory, however, Camus insinuates, is when Sisyphus takes pleasure in the fight and acknowledges that happiness and the absurd cannot be separated.
4. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (Chapter on Philosophy)
Bryson’s narration is interactive and conversational, whereas an average introductory text may be dense. He skillfully situates the first philosophical investigations of thinkers such as Thales, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus, formulating their abstract questions about the substance of the world in the context of history and science.
“There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.”
This method helps amateurs realise that the quest for knowledge did not begin in a laboratory classroom but was closely connected to the emergence of science and rationality. Moreover, it simplifies the subject matter as an academic field and adds liveliness and continuity to it as a human adventure.
5. Plato’s Dialogues (Focusing on Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo)
Plato, the disciple of Socrates, is the crucial figure in the study of Western philosophy because his writing laid the groundwork for almost everything that followed. As a novice, one could not go wrong by reading the four Socratic dialogues, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.
They demonstrate the way Socrates questioned, commonly referred to as the Socratic method or elenchus, which seeks to uncover contradictions in what people believe so that the truth can be established. His famous defence speech is recorded in the Apology; the problem of duty to obey the law is discussed in the Crito. Moreover, the issue of the definition of piety and the long-lasting Euthyphro Dilemma.