Philosophy Books

Every year, we ask our philosophy editor Nigel Warburton to select the best new philosophy books aimed at the general reader. In 2025, he's chosen—among other things—biographies of Schopenhauer and Wittgenstein, and a carefully-curated collection of Existentialist writings.

How should we live? What is the nature of reality? Should pro golfers be allowed to use carts? British philosopher Nigel Warburton sets us off down the road of philosophical enquiry with an intriguing list of introductory philosophy books.

The skills of a philosopher and those of a novelist are often in tension, but they have much to learn from each other, says novelist and philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. She chooses her favourite philosophical novels.

What do the sages of ancient China have to teach us about living in the 21st century? The Harvard professor and author of The Path, Michael Puett, recommends the texts you need to read to find out. He picks the best Chinese philosophy books.

The questions of moral philosophy are not always best answered by philosophy books, says leading moral philosopher, Jonathan Glover. He explores questions of how we should live and by what values in books spanning across multiple genres.

The study of philosophy in the Western world is often parochial, and limited to the study of the Anglo-European tradition. It's time to widen our focus, advises the author and philosopher Bryan Van Norden. Here he selects five foundational texts of philosophical traditions worldwide.

Even if you've never studied philosophy, it's nice to be able to read a few books and get a sense of what it's all about. Here, we asked our philosophy editor, Nigel Warburton, to talk us through five key works of Western philosophy—many of them in the public domain and available for free as ebooks—and explain why, despite one or two odd conclusions or quirky writing styles, they've played such an important role in expanding our understanding of the world.

From the oracles of Ancient Greece to contemporary warnings about artificial intelligence, prophecies have always done more than merely forecast events. Oxford philosopher Carissa Véliz, author of Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, recommends five books that explore prophecy's power and argues that resisting its lure may be one of the most important intellectual tasks of our time.

When it comes to the big names in philosophy, very few people think of women and the books that make the canon have, traditionally, almost always been written by European or American men. Here, Rebecca Buxton and Lisa Whiting, editors of The Philosopher Queens, a book that collects together articles about the most important women philosophers, talk through their selection of the best philosophy books written by women.

Do you know your straw man arguments from your weasel words? Nigel Warburton, Five Books philosophy editor and author of Thinking from A to Z, selects some of the best books on critical thinking—and explains how they will help us make better-informed decisions and construct more valid arguments.