Suggest a Philosophy Reading List

I'm an A2 student aspiring to study philosophy at university in 2013.
I want to compile a conclusive reading list for the next year, but I'm none the wiser as to what to include.
I am studying philosophy & ethics but there are certain limitations to the subject, so can anybody suggest some appropriate books on the topic?

Preferably:

•

Challenging but not inaccessible to an A Level student

•

Interesting and thought provoking

•

Valuable for a prospective philosophy student

'Classics' are welcome as long as they fulfil the above criteria.

I have emailed some professors from certain universities but haven't heard back yet, which is understandable as they have very busy schedules.
Any help would be appreciated!

Budding philosophy enthusiast.

Reply 1

Doglamlico

16

Original post by sarahenderson

I'm an A2 student aspiring to study philosophy at university in 2013.
I want to compile a conclusive reading list for the next year, but I'm none the wiser as to what to include.
I am studying philosophy & ethics but there are certain limitations to the subject, so can anybody suggest some appropriate books on the topic?

Preferably:

•

Challenging but not inaccessible to an A Level student

•

Interesting and thought provoking

•

Valuable for a prospective philosophy student

'Classics' are welcome as long as they fulfil the above criteria.

I have emailed some professors from certain universities but haven't heard back yet, which is understandable as they have very busy schedules.
Any help would be appreciated!

Budding philosophy enthusiast.

Well Mill's on Liberty and Utilitarianism is a classic, along with Descartes' Meditations
For lighter reading, "The Philosophy Gym" and "The Pig that wants to be eaten" are really good, particularly the first one.
Otherwise, have a look at what universities expect undergraduates to have read on arrival, it should be on their websites :smile:

Reply 2

hamsterdowns

4

'Think' by Simon Blackburn and the Peter Vardy 'Puzzle of...' series seem to be accessible and popular. I'd certainly recommend them xx

Reply 3

dongonaeatu

Original post by sarahenderson

I'm an A2 student aspiring to study philosophy at university in 2013.
I want to compile a conclusive reading list for the next year, but I'm none the wiser as to what to include.
I am studying philosophy & ethics but there are certain limitations to the subject, so can anybody suggest some appropriate books on the topic?

Preferably:

•

Challenging but not inaccessible to an A Level student

•

Interesting and thought provoking

•

Valuable for a prospective philosophy student

'Classics' are welcome as long as they fulfil the above criteria.

I have emailed some professors from certain universities but haven't heard back yet, which is understandable as they have very busy schedules.
Any help would be appreciated!

Budding philosophy enthusiast.

the bible

Reply 4

tommyjazzhands

5

I would suggest starting with the basics even if it is slightly below your standard of reading, it really helps to have things explained in lamens terms initially so they are clearly cemented in your mind. Therefore I would strongly recommend:

Philosophy: The Basics by Nigel Warburton

Very accessible with a good overview on a number of philosophical questions.

Next i would read:

History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

This will give you an understanding of the evolution of philosophy.

Finally, I would strongly recommend purchasing a copy of:

The Philosophers Toolkit 2nd Ed by Baggini and Fosl

This will give you a clear understanding of the mechanisms and terminology used in philosophy.

This has been my personal approach anyway, hope that helps :smile:

Reply 5

s_axo

8

If you are not up for reading, I would recommend the podcasts on philosophybites.com, recorded by Nigel Warbuton and David Edmonds. They are always informative, and the length of them is pretty good; not too heavy but light enough to keep you engaged and thinking analytically.

EDIT: How could I forget problems of philosophy by Betrand Russell?! I dropped philosophy but still am pretty in love with this book. :colondollar:

Reply 6

Komatic

Original post by sarahenderson

appropriate books on the topic?

aaaaahhahahaa! :ahee:

Seriously tho... :own3d:

Reply 7

Negaduck

12

Original post by hamsterdowns

'Think' by Simon Blackburn

I read this book as an intro to Philosophy and I can vouch for it. It's good. Not good enough to convince me to do a Philosophy degree instead of a Maths degree, but good enough to keep me reading Philosophy in my spare time.

Reply 8

Sophrosyne_1

If you're looking for a good way in to key philosophical texts and ideas, try listening to the Philosophy Bites podcasts online. They are short (approx 15 minutes) discussions with philosophers on the subjects they are working on and may pique your interest in the texts they discuss.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 9

Sophrosyne_1

If you want to have a go with some of the classics, I would suggest Plato's Republic and, as mentioned earlier, Mill's On Liberty. For a more contemporary perspective, try Peter Singer (The Life You Can Save is pretty accessible) or Michael Sandel's recent book on justice. Also, you might want to take a look at Sandel's Harvard lectures (they are free to view on ITunes U).

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 10

NewUsername?

'Utilitarianism' by Mill and Descartes' 'Meditations on First Philosophy' are pretty standard places to start. The great thing with either of these books (or any classic philosophical text) is the depth of (relatively) easily available criticisms if you want to read more. Decent editions will typically have suggested reading lists for the topics covered.

Hume's 'An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding' is another classic text, although more difficult to read (his syntax is really foreign) - so I'd not put it on the top of the list.

Could also look at some Ayer. I generally find his writing to be really accessible.

There's also a lot of stuff online. I'd suggest avoiding Sandel's 'Justice' series, because it is neither particularly rigorous nor interesting, in my opinion. But there is a ton online - iTunes U is a treasure trove, there are full lecture series on Kant, Religion, Hume - basically whatever you want.

Reply 11

pott

1

candide by Voltaire

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