Bertrand Russell once said that science is what you know and philosophy is what you don't know. The vastness and temporary non-materiality of the subject can make this special form of knowledge of the world inaccessible to beginners. Many simply do not know where to start studying philosophy. The list of references provided in this article will give a good start and support in further acquaintance with this form of knowledge.
Plato. “Five Dialogues”
Alfred Whitehead famously said that all Western philosophy is one big footnote to Plato. This is more than a slight exaggeration, and yet, in order to know the world, it is necessary to read the work of the most famous student of Socrates. That is why the book "Five Dialogues" was included in the list of literature on philosophy.
Plato wrote beautiful examples of prose, showing all his acumen and understanding of this wisdom infive parts. It is important to note that the book "Five Dialogues" is included in the list of literature on philosophy used repeatedly by students around the world:
- The Euthyphron represents an argument, still valid today, that morality cannot be derived from the gods whether they exist or not.
- The Apologia includes Socrates' own defense at the trial where he was accused of impiety and corruption among Athenian youth, and at which he was sentenced to death.
- Krito is a dialogue in which Socrates explores the concept of justice and offers an early version of the theory of social contracts.
- Menot is a perfect example of the Socratic method oriented towards the exploration of the idea of virtue in order to arrive at the well-known definition of knowledge as a justified true belief.
- Fedo is the last part of Plato's book, which introduces the reader to the last moments of Socrates' life, where the philosopher speaks of the soul and the afterlife.
“Five Dialogues” is the best philosophy literature on the list, which shows us an example of good writing and an extraordinary understanding of the world of a famous teacher and his student.
David Chalmers. "Conscious Mind"
Another fascinating book from the list of literature on philosophy. The Conscious Mind can be enlightening for beginners, as Chalmers covers all major schools of thought - from inductionism to falsification, from Kuhn's idea of paradigm shifts to Feyerabend's methodological anarchism, to more recentdebates such as realism versus anti-realism, or the idea that science behaves (or at least should behave) like a Bayesian algorithm.
Roger Penrose. “New Mind of the King”
Philosophy responds best to intellectual challenges that arise in other areas and fields, such as physics, psychology or politics. Often, those who encounter this form of knowledge of the world are puzzled by the aspect of mathematics and the structure of the world at the chemical and physical level[. And long before the first acquaintance with philosophy.
Penrose is a throwback to writers who respected their teachers enough to explain things properly. When Roger mentions complex numbers, quantum mechanics, Turing machines, he doesn't just run his hand through their mysteries, but stops to go through the details using equations. And where necessary, Penrose uses images, metaphors and simple language to understand.
Some of his possible positive assumptions, which have quantum gravity allowing the human mind to surpass Gödel's theorem, are pretty stupid, according to most scientists. But his real achievement is that the author conveys to the reader how deeply mysterious nature is. That is why The New Mind of a King was included in the list of references in philosophy. Science and this form of knowledge of the world, according to Penrose, always go side by side.
Albert Camus. “Stranger”
The main way to dip your fingers into philosophy is to read the biographies of historical figures who have been able togo a little further than the average person. But another great method of immersion is to read the beautifully written book The Stranger by Albert Camus.
The novel is about absurdity, mortality and the recognition that “there is no love for life without despair in life” set under the blinding Algerian sun.
Plato. “Feast”
And again Plato, the author of another masterpiece of those times, which we have already included in the list of literature on philosophy. The stories told in the "Symposium" ("Feast") clarify the thoughts already expressed here. This book of Plato can only be compared with his other work - “The Republic”.
The author believed that the seeker of the wisdom and philosophy of the world is one whose heart is aware of these things, which in other cases could be ignored. This is someone who is confident in his actions; whose advice can unravel even the most complex tangles; who is awake at night when he is looking for the right paths; who surpasses what he did yesterday; who is wiser than the sage; who asks for advice and sees others turn to him for help.
Interesting fact. These thoughts began to appear long before the birth of Socrates and Plato, namely in ancient Egypt, during the XII dynasty.
Rene Descartes. “Reflections on First Philosophy”
Another favorite author - Rene Descartes. In his work, he tried to find distinct differences between the human soul and body, calling for meditation as a reliable foundation for this form of knowledge of the world.
If you read Plato's Meno, you will find a surprising resemblance to Meditation on First Philosophy. However, René Descartes considers and studies much more than a student of Socrates.
