Why am I here? How can I live a good life? What does it mean to have a mind and be a person? Since the days of antiquity, philosophers have puzzled over fundamental questions like these that sit at the very heart of our lived experience and interactions with the world. Solving these problems is not merely about increasing our knowledge of the world, to fill up academic textbooks and sit on library shelves, but to impart wisdom to aid us as we navigate through life's uncertainties and its profoundest mysteries.
November marks the anniversary of UNESCO's commitment to celebrate World Philosophy Day, an occasion to consider the impact of philosophy and big ideas around the world and across cultures. What's more, it's an opportunity to reflect on the intellectual challenges that are confronting humanity today, whether that be environmental damage, rising political tensions and a renewed nationalist fervour, or calculated attempts to undermine respect in truth.
In 2017, we spoke to a number of leading philosophers to ask them why philosophy matters and what it has meant to them in their personal and professional lives (which you can read here, alongside a poem by Kwame Anthony Appiah). This year, we have tried to do something special, asking experts across the discipline to put together a list of their recommended philosophy books that everyone should read.
By no means exhaustive, and with some notable exceptions that did not make it in our experts' final selections (we're looking at you Heidegger and Kierkegaard), we hope this list will offer something to both those new to philosophy and seasoned readers of the subject. It urges to be read and enjoyed in the spirit it was intended: a colourfully-curated guide through the history of ideas by philosophers who want to share their passion with the world.
—David Maclean
"By reading the Upaniṣads and the Gītā, one gets a feel for the metaphysical and moral outlook that permeates the classical orthodox tradition in India. Abhinavagupta introduces the centrality of aesthetics to Indian philosophical reflection, and the centrality of dance drama (natya) to Indian aesthetics. The Questions of King Milinda is an important early Buddhist text on metaphysics, with great stuff on the self and personal identity. Nāgārjuna founds the Madhyamaka tradition (the dominant interpretation of Buddhist philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism), and Dignāga the Buddhist epistemological tradition. That edition has all of the Indian and Tibetan commentaries, which adds a nice dimension to reading a terse verse text. Śāntideva presents the Mahāyāna ethical tradition (which thinks that enlightenment can be attained in a single lifetime).
And if you’re interested in more than this, KC Bhattacharyya’s Subject as Freedom and AC Mukerji’s The Problem of the Self are nice examples of early 20th century Indian philosophy, bringing tradition and modernity into dialogue."
Jay Garfield is Doris Silbert Professor of Philosophy at Smith College. His books include What Can’t Be Said: Paradox and Contradiction in East Asian Philosophy.
For Chinese philosophy, I would recommend three books. First, Confucius's Analects (or Lunyu), a collection of Confucius's sayings and his conversations, mostly with his students. Even though not systematically written, this collection presents Confucius's view of ethics, the good life, and human flourishing. It covers issues such as cultivating personal virtues, fostering family life, and creating social harmony.
14th November 2018
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