Philosophy Books

The Stoics offer us valuable strategies for thinking about and dealing with hardships that remain relevant for modern society, says Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York and a practising Stoic. He recommends books to read to get a better idea of what Stoicism is all about and why some people find the ancient philosophy—famously practised by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius—comforting today.

Over the past decade our philosophy editor, Nigel Warburton, has been interviewing philosophers asking them to recommend the best philosophy books. After hundreds of interviews, this is our list of the books that have come up again and again. It reveals if not the best philosophy books ever written, at least a collection of very important and influential books.

Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that has dominated philosophy in America from the early 1900s to the present day, argues the philosopher and political theorist Robert Talisse. He chooses the best books on pragmatism.

Can philosophy change your life? Yes, says bestselling author Eric Weiner, though partly by making it more complicated. Here, he picks five works of life-changing philosophy, from Epictetus to Jacob Needleman, a professor (emeritus) at San Francisco State University.

We ask our philosophy editor Nigel Warburton to recommend five of the most notable new books in his specialist area at the end of every year. In 2024, his nominations for the best philosophy books of 2024 include an introduction to the work of Karl Marx, a study of sentience in animals, and an examination of suicide through the work of the Greek tragedians.

It's abstract and not everyone's cup of tea but, in many ways, inescapable. Philosopher Tim Crane introduces the best books on metaphysics.

Today, we think of scientists and philosophers as distinct, but it wasn't always this way. Back when the Royal Society was founded in the 1660s, figures like Newton, Descartes and Boyle all thought of themselves as ‘natural philosophers’. Justin E. H. Smith, professor of philosophy at the Université de Paris, introduces us to what he sees as the real history of philosophy.

Philosophy books, at their best, open the door to thinking about how to live our lives and interact with the world around us. Fortunately, the past decade has seen many popular philosophy books published that are highly readable. Some (e.g., books on Stoicism) verge on self-help, others on how to help others. Some introduce the thought of a particular philosopher, others on the skills philosophy teaches, like critical thinking.

Daniel Dennett is not only one of the most distinguished philosophers of mind working today, he also writes great books. As he publishes his memoir, I’ve Been Thinking, he talks us through some of the books that most influenced him, including two by evolutionary biologists.

Existentialist philosophy isn't about bringing despair and angst into our lives, it's about discovering our inner freedom, explains Sarah Bakewell, the author of At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails. She recommends books to learn more about existentialism.