5 Greatest Philosophy Books Of All Time (Part 2)
Philosophy books that you must read at least once in your life
This is the second part of the book recommendation series where I have suggested some of the most thought-provoking philosophy books of all time. If you haven’t gone through the first part of the series, I highly suggest you read it first,
1. Stoner
- By John Williams
This is perhaps the greatest novel you’ve ever read and it’s my favorite book of all time. I look at this book from a philosophical standpoint because it cuts through all the aspects of life like a knife through butter, and so effortlessly. This book concerns the main character, William Stoner, and reflects upon the fact that not every life needs to have an endless adventure. Even a simple life, where nothing much happens could be interesting. I leave you with a little snippet from this book and I promise you this book will surpass your expectations.
“He took a grim and ironic pleasure from the possibility that what little learning he had managed to acquire had led him to this knowledge: that in the long run all things, even the learning that let him know this, were futile and empty, and at last diminished into a nothingness they did not alter.”
2. Lovers of Philosophy
- By Warren Ward
This book builds a very good foundation on continental thinking in philosophy rather than analytical philosophy. The author is a professor of psychiatry. It touches on the love life, or the devoid thereof, of the seven continental philosophers. We could learn a thing or two that would remain imprinted upon us our whole life from this book.
3. Wittgenstein’s Antiphilosophy
- By Alain Badiou
Although the book is small with barely 200 pages, it blurbs out the best philosophical ideas you could find. It includes some of the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Contrary to the second book on the list, it correlates more with analytical philosophy. Wittgenstein’s primary area of interest was language, and his works clearly reflect upon that fact in the two volumes that he wrote namely Tractatus Logicio-Philosophicus and Philosophical investigations.
4. At the Existentialist Café
- By Sarah Bakewell
We could grasp the somewhat basic idea of existentialism and phenomenology from this book. We would become clearer on the idea that philosophy is not just a questioning of every aspect and not be burdened with practical answers. It has always been a part of our life and some would live their entire life not recognizing it. The concepts of being and time, being and nothingness, while they might seem hard to grasp, are worthwhile once you resonate with the core ideas.
5. Albert Camus and Human Crisis
- By Robert Meagher
Albert Camus was a 20th-century French philosopher who wrote some exceptional books like The stranger, The Fall, and The Plague. The author dives into the life of Camus and his fundamental ideas on the philosophy of absurdism. It rejuvenates the influence on the readers that in Camus's words,
“Cannot live without dialogue and friendship.”
Contributed by Rishab Karki and curated by the author.
Thank you so much for reading. If you liked this story don’t forget to press that clap icon. If you like my works and want to support me then you can become a medium member by using this link or buy me a coffee ☕️. Keep following for more such stories.
