Recommended philosophical reading
- Thread starter hibernal_dream
- Start date
Sorry to jump in late (I have been away a long while), but as to the original question of what to read:
There is a whole lot of worthwhile reading available, and (in general) I think a "reccommended reading list" requires (or, at least, requests) a topic of general inclination.
That said, I will always put forth Descartes's first two chapters of his Meditations as a requisite preface - he addresses, in succinct and cogent fashion, the question of what can be known. To me, this is the foundation of meta-thought.
There is a whole lot of worthwhile reading available, and (in general) I think a "reccommended reading list" requires (or, at least, requests) a topic of general inclination.
That said, I will always put forth Descartes's first two chapters of his Meditations as a requisite preface - he addresses, in succinct and cogent fashion, the question of what can be known. To me, this is the foundation of meta-thought.
derek
Grey Eminence
Welcome back!
Some ace recommendations in here folks. A great introductionary text that I read during my undergrad (and I believe it is almost a required text in the US) is James Rachels' The Elements of Moral Philosophy. It is mainly a summary of the whole branch, but it is very accessible and quite a balanced and interesting book on the topic of moral philosophy.
As cythraul said: Hume; an enquiry concerning Human understanding would probably be the first one I would recommend.
Some ace recommendations in here folks. A great introductionary text that I read during my undergrad (and I believe it is almost a required text in the US) is James Rachels' The Elements of Moral Philosophy. It is mainly a summary of the whole branch, but it is very accessible and quite a balanced and interesting book on the topic of moral philosophy.
As cythraul said: Hume; an enquiry concerning Human understanding would probably be the first one I would recommend.
Final_Product said:
Thank you, and well met.
As to Rachels: I agree.
As to Hume: One of my favorites; but to my mind, he is a reactionary and, as such, should only be read after a perusal of the missives scribed by those who put forth the ideas to which Hume responds.
By way of (albeit weak) example: I would encourage everyone to read up on solipsism, but only after ingratiating oneself to various ideas of existence.
derek
Grey Eminence
derek
Grey Eminence
Not at all, I read Hume myself without so much as a scooby about its context, initially.
dargormudshark
Senior Member
Liverslapper
w00t
LORD_RED_DRAGON
New Metal Member
if you've never read any philosophical books at all then i would recomend Ethics by Spinoza because, for me, it was a hell of a lot easier to read than just about anything else that's labeled as "philosophical" and any thing about moral relativism or chaos theory
