Looking for the best philosophy books of all time? You’re in the right place.
In this set of book recommendations, I’ve gathered and ranked the best philosophical books of all time into an ultimate philosophy reading list.
It wasn’t easy. And it’s still a work in progress.
Why? Well, for a start, philosophy is a huge topic. Its texts can be primary (books of philosophy) or secondary (books about philosophy). They can be practical or theoretical. They can be fiction and nonfiction. They straddle all human history and thought.
And second, I’m not a philosophy professor. Which is why I’ve spent hours researching and gathering hundreds of philosophical books into a long list, then used a data-driven, in-house algorithm to curate the shortlist of best philosophy books below.
My goal? I’ve tried to give a holistic overview of the very best philosophy books of all time – one that doesn’t just focus on 20th Century or Western philosophy – to help me explore as much important philosophical ground and cover as much philosophical thought as I can, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Why these books and not others? Except where they’re ordered alphabetically, the best philosophy books below are the top picks from my master database, ranked by a combination of Goodreads rating, the number of Goodreads reviews and first publication date. The goal is to give a good balance of what’s most loved, what’s most popular and what’s delivered timelessly relevant advice.
And lastly, where should you start? That really depends on three things:
- What are you most interested in?
- How much do you know already? and
- How much time do you have?
My plan is to alternate between introductory and primary texts (probably in a 1 to 3 ratio) with some philosophical fiction thrown in for respite until I’ve got a good handle on the basics topic. At that point, I’ll regroup and reassess.
Your approach will depend on your answers to the questions above.
Whatever you decide, don’t forget: reading philosophy (and studying in general) is an incremental and iterative process.
There’s a good chance you won’t understand much of the first 5 primary texts you read – and that’s OK. By the 6th book, you’ll be starting to put things together. By the 10th book, you’ll be itching to revisit your first choices.
The secret? The only way to book 6 (and beyond) is via book 1. So get to it!
Pick a book from the list of best philosophy books below and start reading.
And I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions very soon.
P.s., For some more help on working your way through this list, make sure you check out this summary of Adler and van Doren’s awesome How To Read A Book.
Best Philosophy Books: Table Of Contents
I’ve split the best philosophy books below into 4 different sections:
- Best Introductions To Philosophy – Secondary introductions and guides;
- Religious Texts – Primary, philosophical religious texts;
- 60 Best Philosophical Nonfiction Books – Primary, non-religious nonfiction; and
- 20 Best Philosophical Fiction Books – Primary, non-religious fiction.
Think something’s missing? Leave a comment or email me and I’ll add it to the next round of updates. I honestly love hearing from you (and your suggestions benefit everyone) so please, do get in touch!
Best Introductions To Philosophy
Here are the top introductions and guides I could find to philosophy from various different parts of the world. Regions organised alphabetically.
Introductions to African Philosophy
Mostly non-Egyptian, non-Islamic and non-Christian.
- African Religions & Philosophy (1970), John S. Mbiti
288 pages. Rated 3.8 over 200 reviews on Goodreads. - African Philosophy (1991), Tsenay Serequeberhan
The Essential Readings
250 pages. Rated 3.8 over <100 reviews on Goodreads.
Introductions to East Asian & Indian Philosophy
There are A LOT of great guides to the many, deep and varied East Asian and Indian philosophical traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism etc…). I’ve stuck to surveys here to give as broad an overview as possible.
- An Introduction To Indian Philosophy (1968), Satischandra Chatterjee
424 pages. Rated 4.0 over 200 reviews on Goodreads. - Asian Philosophies (1997), John M. Koller
364 pages. Rated 3.8 over <100 reviews on Goodreads.
Introductions to Islamic Philosophy
Mostly focussed on medieval islamic philosophy.
- A History of Islamic Philosophy (1970), Majid Fakhry
472 pages. Rated 4.0 over 100 reviews on Goodreads. - History of Islamic Philosophy (1996), Seyyed Hossein Nasr
1,211 pages. Rated 4.1 over <100 reviews on Goodreads.
Introductions to Mesoamerican Philosophy
I couldn’t find anything great that didn’t focus on the Aztecs. Suggestions welcomed!
- Aztec Thought and Culture (1956), Miguel León-Portilla
A Study of the Ancient Nahuatl Mind
272 pages. Rated 4.1 over 200 reviews on Goodreads. - Aztec Philosophy (2013), James Maffie
Understanding a World in Motion
512 pages. Rated 4.1 over <100 reviews on Goodreads.
Introductions to Western Philosophy
The two, classic, must-read histories of Western Philosophy.
- The Story of Philosophy (1926), Will Durant
The Lives and Opinions of the World’s Greatest Philosophers
704 pages. Rated 4.1 over 13,400 reviews on Goodreads. - A History of Western Philosophy (1945), Bertrand Russell
906 pages. Rated 4.1 over 30,000 reviews on Goodreads.
Religious Texts
I didn’t want arguments over the rankings of major philosophical religious texts in my main list so here they are, separated and in alphabetical order below.
- Holy Bible (1611), Anonymous
King James Version
1,590 pages. Rated 4.4 over 208,200 reviews on Goodreads. - Mahabharata (-400), Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
444 pages. Rated 4.3 over 7,700 reviews on Goodreads. - Qurʾan (609), Anonymous
604 pages. Rated 4.3 over 55,100 reviews on Goodreads. - Ramayana (-400), Vālmīki
461 pages. Rated 4.1 over 6,000 reviews on Goodreads. - Tanakh (-450), Anonymous
The Holy Scriptures
1,624 pages. Rated 4.4 over 2,700 reviews on Goodreads. - Tao Te Ching (-300), Lao Tzu
160 pages. Rated 4.3 over 105,800 reviews on Goodreads. - The Bhagavad Gita (-400), Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
160 pages. Rated 4.1 over 51,700 reviews on Goodreads. - The Dhammapada (-400), Anonymous
114 pages. Rated 4.3 over 21,500 reviews on Goodreads. - The Holy Vedas (-1000), Bibek Debroy
Rig Veda,Yajur Veda Sama Veda and Atharva Veda
450 pages. Rated 4.2 over <100 reviews on Goodreads. - The I Ching or Book of Changes (-850), Anonymous
740 pages. Rated 4.2 over 17,800 reviews on Goodreads. - The Tibetan Book of the Dead (800), Padmasambhava
535 pages. Rated 4.2 over 7,600 reviews on Goodreads. - The Upanishads (-500), Anonymous
143 pages. Rated 4.2 over 11,800 reviews on Goodreads.
60 Best Philosophical Nonfiction Books
Here are the best philosophy books (primary nonfiction) from my database as ranked by what’s most loved, what’s most popular and what’s remained timelessly relevant.
My data comes from Goodreads, whose votes come from an overwhelmingly western readership, hence the inevitable bias towards books of Western Philosophy. I’m not yet sure how to combat this, although at some point I may try and split this list into sections as I have for the introductory texts above.
If you feel strongly that something’s missing that deserves to be on this list of best philosophy books, leave a comment!
Books 1-10: The Top 10 Best Philosophy Books of All Time
Here are the top 10 best philosophy books from my database…
Books 11-70: More Great Philosophy Books to Read
Here are the next 50 books on my list of best philosophy books of all time…
20 Best Philosophical Fiction Books
I am DEFINITELY going to get into trouble here.
When does a piece of fiction become a piece of philosophical fiction and when is it just a piece of fiction that contains some philosophy? I’ll think more on this later.
In the meantime, if you feel strongly about a title that’s missing from this list, leave a comment!
- Crime and Punishment (1866), Fyodor Dostoyevsky
671 pages. Rated 4.2 over 580,300 reviews on Goodreads. - The Brothers Karamazov (1879), Fyodor Dostoyevsky
796 pages. Rated 4.3 over 226,400 reviews on Goodreads. - The Little Prince (1943), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
93 pages. Rated 4.3 over 1,232,400 reviews on Goodreads. - The Prophet (1923), Kahlil Gibran
127 pages. Rated 4.2 over 219,400 reviews on Goodreads. - Siddhartha (1922), Hermann Hesse
152 pages. Rated 4.0 over 542,800 reviews on Goodreads. - 1984 (1949), George Orwell
237 pages. Rated 4.2 over 2,886,700 reviews on Goodreads. - The Stranger (1942), Albert Camus
123 pages. Rated 4.0 over 580,900 reviews on Goodreads. - The Trial (1925), Franz Kafka
255 pages. Rated 4.0 over 192,900 reviews on Goodreads. - The Metamorphosis (1915), Franz Kafka
201 pages. Rated 3.8 over 511,900 reviews on Goodreads. - Animal Farm (1945), George Orwell
144 pages. Rated 3.9 over 2,307,500 reviews on Goodreads. - Candide (1759), Voltaire
129 pages. Rated 3.8 over 206,300 reviews on Goodreads. - The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Milan Kundera
320 pages. Rated 4.1 over 285,900 reviews on Goodreads. - In the Penal Colony (1919), Franz Kafka
52 pages. Rated 4.0 over 14,000 reviews on Goodreads. - No Exit (1944), Jean-Paul Sartre
60 pages. Rated 4.1 over 23,500 reviews on Goodreads. - The Fountainhead (1943), Ayn Rand
704 pages. Rated 3.9 over 275,600 reviews on Goodreads. - The Plague (1947), Albert Camus
308 pages. Rated 4.0 over 133,900 reviews on Goodreads. - The Castle (1926), Franz Kafka
316 pages. Rated 4.0 over 38,600 reviews on Goodreads. - The Fall (1956), Albert Camus
147 pages. Rated 4.0 over 70,900 reviews on Goodreads. - Nausea (1938), Jean-Paul Sartre
178 pages. Rated 3.9 over 73,400 reviews on Goodreads. - Utopia (1516), Thomas More
135 pages. Rated 3.5 over 53,900 reviews on Goodreads.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to start with (and get enthusiastic about) philosophy is to find ways to apply it to your life. That’s why I’d recommend starting your philosophy reading with e.g., Seneca’s Letters From a Stoic or Aurelius’s Meditations. And when you’re done? Check out this list of the best philosophy books of all time for ideas on what to read next.
A good philosophy book should be well-structure, well-written and consistent in the way it approaches the question(s) it’s tackling. Beyond that, the best books on philosophy are those that change the way you see, think about and act in the world around you. For a selection, check out this free list of the best philosophy books of all time.
If you’re studying (Western) philosophy, start with Will Durant’s History of Philosophy. If you’re looking for practical ways to apply philosophy to your life, start with Seneca’s Letters From a Stoic. To see where it (Western Philosophy) all began, start with Plato’s Apology. And for more ideas, check out this full list of the best philosophy books of all time.
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I know it’s not the most popular book around, but Josef Pieper’s “Leisure: the Basis of Culture” (Alexander Dru, translator) is one of the best little books I know. Pieper draws widely from Western philosophy, particularly Medieval and German, to answer the totalitarian (and also capitalist) ideal of “total work”. He argues for a true “de-proletarianization” of those who are “fettered to work” by opening up space for leisurely contemplation (not simply “break-time”) in their lives. Everyone I know who has read this book said: “It changed my life”.
The Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles – St. Thomas Aquinas!
Hey Ali, this was a great spot. Thank you! I’ve recently done a major overhaul of the list and Summa is now at #34.