The best books on philosophy have incorporated all the wisdom of the ages, which the great thinkers managed to put on paper. They teach a person to be wise, make them think completely differently and cover issues that have been hidden behind the curtain of secrecy for several centuries. The world library stores many philosophical works that are the real property of all mankind. The list below includes only the smallest part of the best works of great thinkers of all time.
10. Words and things | Michel Foucault
“Words and things” (Michel Foucault) opens a list of the best books on philosophy. This is the only work of the philosopher to date, which is available in Russian. One of Foucault's most controversial and complex creative works, where the thinker considers the shift in the history of Western knowledge. The question is being considered that in the 19th century Western culture a certain form of thinking has arisen that is characteristic of the humanities. The writer separately identifies three different configurations of knowledge - it is Renaissance, classical and modern.
9. Creative evolution | Henri Bergson
"Creative evolution" (Henri Bergson) - one of the best philosophical works. One can safely say that this book concentrates not only the views of the thinker, but also represents the idea of a whole philosophical trend. One of the key works of the French philosopher claims to be a treatise on the philosophy of evolution. According to the thinker himself, evolution gives the realization that matter is “more a course than a thing”, and the “impulse of life” is the engine of evolution. The book contains a large number of phrases that have become “winged” and have become aphorisms.
8. Free will | Sam Harris
"Free will" (Sam Harris) - one of the best philosophical works of a great thinker. This book, which highlights such questions as: does a person really have free will and whether he bears an undeniable responsibility for his actions. Harris suggests that nevertheless, human actions largely determine genes, not society or parenting. People who consider themselves and other individuals are convinced that they have freedom of choice. However, the author of the book debunks this belief in his philosophical work. He argues step by step that, in principle, free will does not exist.
7. The second floor | Simon de Beauvoir
"Second floor" (Simone de Beauvoir) is rightfully included in the top ten books on philosophy. One of the most famous works of the great thinker of the second half of the 20th century tells about the attitude towards women throughout the entire existence of mankind. This book is with a feminist bias, so it will be interesting primarily to women. It took de Borvoir about a year and a half to write the work. The resulting two-volume was included by the Vaticon in the list of books prohibited for reading. The first volume was called "Facts and Myths", the second - "The Life of a Woman." This philosophical work is primarily about the difficult fate of women throughout the history of mankind.
6. The life of the mind | Hannah Arendt
"The life of the mind" (Hannah Arendt) is one of the best works of a German-American philosopher with Jewish roots. This is the last and most significant work of the great thinker of the 20th century. In this book, Arendt conducts his own research on the meaning of the word. The philosopher was able to complete only the first two volumes under the names "Thinking" and "Volition". The third volume, called Judgments, was never destined to appear, since Hannah Arendt was overtaken by death. One of the most significant political and intellectual figures has made a great contribution to philosophy.
5. Language, truth and logic | A.J. Ayer
“Language, Truth, and Logic” (A. Ayer) - one of the best philosophical works of our time. The book is one of the most published in analytical philosophy. The book is a source of a turn in linguistics, which in turn has somewhat changed the image of philosophy of the 20th century. Thus, “Language, Truth and Logic” serves as the formation of the image of philosophy not only in the eyes of professional philosophers, but also among ordinary people. This work is especially popular in England, where today more than one million copies have been produced.
4. Being and time | Martin Heidegger
"Being and time" (Martin Heidegger) - one of the best books on philosophy, which determined a whole direction in the science of all sciences. The main topics of scientific work are loneliness, a sense of abandonment and death. The book traces the echoes of the works of such prominent postmodern writers as Sartre and Camus. In this work, Martin Heidegger created his own style of language in which he expresses his thoughts in a very complex form. “Being and time” is a book difficult to perceive, requiring deep thoughtfulness, far from everyone has been given to understand it.
3. About responsibilities | Cicero
Philosophical work “About duties” (Cicero) opens the top three books on philosophy. This total work done by Cicero highlights many of the political and legal problems. His worldview in this book was greatly influenced by the works of thinkers such as Aristotle and Plato. The state for Cicero is nothing but the common property of the people. The main reason for the emergence of the state, according to the thinker, is the need to exist in a team. The duties of every person who is a citizen of the state, according to Cicero, are justice, decency and greatness of spirit. Justice in the understanding of Cicero is not to harm the people around you.
2. Nikomakhova ethics | Aristotle
"Nikomakhova ethics" (Aristotle) is on the list of the best philosophical works of ancient thinkers. This is one of the three ethical writings of Aristotle. The work covers topics such as the highest good, happiness, virtue. According to the philosopher, the true good and happiness lies in the virtues that he teaches in his work. The voluminous work of the thinker in all includes nine books.
1. Conversations and judgments | Confucius
“Conversations and judgments”(Confucius) concludes the list of the best books on philosophy. One of the most prominent thinkers in history has had a great influence on philosophy. His dialogues, notes and aphorisms were recorded by his students, after which they were published under the name Lun-yu, which in translation means “Thoughts and Judgments”. For many centuries this treatise was considered mandatory for memorization in many higher educational institutions of the world. The book was translated into Russian only at the beginning of the 20th century. The main topics of the book are mercy, justice and common sense.